Captive
by fermataoso
Summary: Fiyero is held captive, and Elphaba is sent to rescue him. Fiyeraba.
1. Rescue

Fiyero regretfully woke, his muscles grouchy and his head aching. A quick glance around told him that he was still unfortunately in the same position he'd been in yesterday, and the day before, and so on and so forth. That position was currently tied at the ankles and wrists and bound to a pillar. Fiyero Tiggular, prince of the Vinkus, had been kidnapped.

Shaking his head, he peered into the darkness, hoping for a subtle change that would give him a weapon, anything that could cut the ropes, but as always, it was a fruitless hope. He had already tried to break through the ropes with his muscles, but either they were very strong, or he was very weak. He preferred to think the former.

Leaning his head against the pillar, he tried not to think of all the dire possibilities that swirled in his mind. He had not yet seen their faces, so it was possible (if unlikely) that he might live to see the light of day. He assumed they wanted a ransom, ripping his shirt off smeared with his blood and his royal ring as proof of his capture. Though he knew the amount would be paid, it would take ages to reach the Vinkus and return.

His mind shifted to happier thoughts that made him long to be free, but he quickly subverted them. During the first couple days of his capture, he'd already discovered exactly how much harder it was to dwell on what he was missing. Instead, he strove to clear all thoughts, good and bad, and fill himself with a mindless peace. Live in the moment. Focus on nothingness. Everything is temporary. Finally, the blankness came to surround him with calmness.

Emptying his thoughts was a difficult process requiring a paradoxical concentration that was currently being disrupted by the tinkling noises he heard behind him. Sighing, he surrendered and allowed himself to become aware of his unfortunate surrounding again. The little room was equally dark as before, but the tinkling noises he heard sounded like breaking glass.

Great, now his attackers were going to use broken glass on his wounds. Fantastic. He hung his head, the sad benefit of all this darkness being the rather vividness of his imagination in comparison. Apparently he hadn't been tortured enough by this frustrating ordeal. The anticipation of the cutting was worse than the actual event to him, so he called out in what he hoped was a brave voice, "Just hurry up and get it over with. I already know what you're planning."

"Oh do you?" That voice wasn't right. It was female, and his attackers were all three male. Not to mention it sounded a lot like…

A vision of green and black swirled in front of him, and his jaw dropped open. "Elphie?" His imagination must _really _have become enhanced, so real she seemed. He really needed to work on his blankness. This was no time for a daydream.

She pressed a finger to his lips, and luckily he caught himself before he kissed it. "Not so loud. I didn't come all this way to be kidnapped myself."

"So…you're really here?"

She looked at him sharply, as if he had gone daft. "Obviously." She retrieved a knife from her boot, and he was too overwhelmed with this development to even ogle her slightly exposed leg. Cutting the ropes from his wrist with a swift swish, she knelt to cut his ankles free. He rubbed his wrists at the tenderness they held from being restrained. He had been crouched in this awkward position for so long, his muscles burned when he tried to stand. His legs did not support his weight, and he half-fell onto Elphie.

She rolled her eyes. "I see you're as graceful as ever." Helping him stand, she pulled his arm around her shoulders to assist supporting his weight. He bit back a very unmanly moan of misery as his muscles mutinied.

"You came for me?" He couldn't process this, having always been far more interested in her than she was in him. In fact, he was usually glad she acknowledged his presence at all.

"Galinda insisted. She actually tried to come herself, but, well, you can imagine." Pictures of broken fingernails and torn designer gowns filled his head - nothing to inspire confidence in her ability to rescue him. Her tough roommate was much the better choice as his savior. "Besides, I had to just to escape the crying. You know how that high pitched whine drives me insane."

He had to devote all his energy to trying to walk, so he left the witty conversation to her. Besides, he was so glad to see her, the only words he could think were, "I love you Elphie," which he could assume would just end up with him tied back up with a bootprint on his face.

Hobbling awkwardly, they made it to the window easily enough, but then he discovered how high and how small the window was. It appeared to be close to level with the ground outside (which explained all the darkness), but it was definitely more convenient to break in to the room than out of it. He turned to Elphaba, offering her a boost. She raised an eyebrow at him, offering him a boost in return. "I did come to rescue _you_. I personally have no difficulties walking at the moment."

He wasn't chauvinistic or anything, but with her already "rescuing" him as she'd said, his pride couldn't handle her giving him a boost. They argued stupidly about it for a while, until he sighed. "We're wasting time. What good is your rescuing if I'm still here when they get back?"

"Exactly. Stop being a foolish prick." Her eyes were full of the exasperation they usually held around him, and he sighed heavily.

"Please, Elphaba? Just this once can you humor me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you owe me. More than you already did." He knew she would be cantankerous for days from this, but he would at least maintain some dignity. Besides, he was so grateful to see her, he wouldn't mind if she verbally assaulted him the whole way home. Home. He would get to go home. He felt almost giddy at the thought.

Giving her a good boost, she managed to slide out the window just as the door was opening to the room. She reached a hand to him, urgently hissing for him to take it. Torn, he wanted to escape, but he didn't want to get her caught with him. Looking at the window, he decided to chance it. Perhaps he could wriggle through it quickly enough with her help.

He grasped her hand, adrenaline giving strength to his screaming muscles, and Elphaba pulled with all her might. Unfortunately, halfway through the tight space, he felt a pair of hands grab his legs, dragging him back in. He filled the window, blocking any sight of Elphaba, so he silently mouthed, "Go." She hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave him, but he glared at her, pointing with his free hand, "Go! Now!"

Her displeasure with this arrangement was clear, but luckily she didn't argue with him. Fleeing to a safe spot out of view, she watched him pulled back through the narrow window to his kidnappers below. At least she was safe.

He told himself the same over and over again as his attackers beat him, threatening horrible fates if he ever attempted such a reckless escape again. He had made up a convincing lie about cutting the ropes with a piece of glass and trying to break through the window only to not fit. They didn't question how he got the glass thankfully, as he preferred simple, more secure lies. The more intricate, the more dangerous, and he didn't want them hunting Elphie.

Sighing, he tried not to picture her rescuing him again, or her reaction at his state if she did. Finally they seemed to have tired of beating him, and he was retied to the pillar. That was probably the worst torture of all.


	2. Hostage

Fiyero fought his waking valiantly, so blissful was sleep comparable to his new living hell. Losing the battle, he opened his eyes, or rather, the eye that would open. It hurt to breathe, and he found himself almost wishing he didn't. The pain was not the main reason for his depression, though it was rather excruciating. Far worse was the crushing disappointment at his near-escape.

He had listened carefully for any sign of her return, hating himself for wanting it so badly. Why should she endanger herself for him? He felt so guilty for wanting her to, but he was thoroughly hopeless here. Even his pitiable state before was a far sight better than where he was now. A fly was drawn to the dried blood from his hopefully not broken nose, and he helplessly blew at it, wishing he could stop the pathetic itch.

He hung his head, eyes closed in hopeless depression. At least she's safe, he told himself. At least he hadn't drug her down with him. He struggled to reclaim his less miserable dreams.

The scraping sounds he heard filled him with cursed new hope, and he wasn't sure if he was happy she had come back or not. Her footsteps were imperceptibly soft, but the long hours of silence and darkness had sharpened his hearing. He struggled to make himself seem less pathetic, raising his head despite the immense pain it brought.

He heard her sharp intake of breath as she caught sight of him. "Fiyero!" He hung his head in shame, as if it were his fault that he looked so pitiable. She touched his face gently, and her eyes were swarmed with emotions. Anger flaring foremost, fighting shock and drowned by sadness.

"I know, I know. I look better this way." He tried to joke, but it was hollow sounding. She didn't answer, merely withdrawing her knife.

"No." He stopped her. She couldn't take this risk. "You shouldn't have come back. They'll only catch you too."

"Oh, don't be an idiot. Of course I wouldn't leave you."

He tried to argue, but he had no strength. She cut him free again, and gently helped him to his feet. He gasped at the sharp pain in his side where they had kicked him repeatedly. "What, no sarcasm?" He used her crutch of banter to distract himself, but she would not rise to the bait.

"Oh, Fiyero. I'm so sorry." It was perhaps the first time he'd ever heard her apologize without mockery.

He winced as he fumbled a step, falling against her painfully. "Not your fault. Let's just get out of here." They made their way to the window at a crawl, each step requiring a rest though it got easier as the muscles reawakened. Finally, they arrived, and he didn't argue at her boost. The agony of lifting himself was enormous, but it must be done. Arms shaking at the exertion, he managed to pull himself up. It was easier to shuffle through then, painful inch by painful inch. Finally, he turned to pull Elphaba through.

He bit back the gasp of agony as she pulled on his arm, lifting herself to the window. She shimmied through easily, and he was impressed with her athletic grace. She had never seemed particularly graceful to him before. Finally, she got to her feet, dusting herself off. He followed her example, though much more slowly.

She had not taken more than three steps before they were both grabbed, a hand slapped over each of their mouths. No! Not Elphie, too. The kicker scoffed in Elphaba's ear, "Used broken glass my…" He cut off as she elbowed him in the gut, spinning as he released her to kick him in a very unpleasant place.

She ran as he tried to shake off his own assailant, but she was stopped by the click of a gun cocking. "Stop or he's dead." She froze, turning to face the scene.

"No, Elphie run!" He called out before the guy behind him slapped his hand back over his mouth, pulling his head back sharply.

The intense anger in her eyes was breathtaking, but she returned, calmly striding back. It did not look much like surrender, so confident and self-possessed were her steps. "Let him go."

The man laughed unkindly. "Or? You'll what little girl?" She narrowed her eyes, and the sky darkened overhead to match her eyes. "Try anything, and I'll shoot him in a heartbeat. I get my money either way."

She froze again, calm faltering as she glanced at Fiyero. He shouted to tell her not to believe the liar, but all that came out was frantic muffled mumbles. Fiercely, she held out her hands, "Fine."

The man smirked at her, eyes wandering over her in a way that made Fiyero want to tear him limb from limb. "Oh, I do love a girl with some attitude. I do believe we'll keep this one boys…" He tied her wrists, holding her eyes haughtily, and then circled behind her, running the gun across her stomach as he cooed in her ear, "break her spirit."

He fought the guy holding him fiercely at this, more terrified for her than for himself. Knocking him down, he took two steps before the gun was pointing at him. "Let her go!" he shouted impotently, knowing his feeble demands for her freedom were useless.

Her calm voice stopped him. "Fiyero stop." He froze as if worried he had ruined her plan, though she clearly didn't have one by the looks of it. The man had recaptured his arms, wrenching him farther away from her, and the leader chuckled.

"That's right. You wouldn't want a hole in your little plaything would you?" The gun was now pressed in her side, and he couldn't breathe at the fear of it all. He would never be able to live with himself if she got hurt. He stood still, communicating his pure loathing of the man with his eyes. "Now, where were we my sweet?" The gun was traveling over her slowly, seducing her to panic, but she did not. "Not playful? Not yet at least."

Her back was very straight, and she showed no signs of fear. The man pushed her, chuckling. "Tie them both up. Throw them back in the basement." He looked at the other two, "And someone fix that damn window!"

* * *

He found himself back against the accursed pillar, Elphaba tied to the other side. Luckily, the other two had been so intimidated by her fierce kick earlier that they didn't dare attack either of them without the gun for safety. If they even touched her, he knew he would go crazy. The idea alone, especially after the leader's taunting, made him want to rip their eyes out and stuff them down their throats. 

She sighed. "Well, this is great."

"I told you to run."

"And I told you I wouldn't leave you here."

"Is this better? Now who's going to untie us?" he snapped. "Great rescue. You should have run."

"Oh, so I was just supposed to let them shoot you!" her voice heavy with scorn.

"Yeah! I'd rather be dead than have to watch them hurt you!" He hadn't meant to say that, but the heat of the argument had gotten to him. The stress of this whole experience made him more waspish and emotional than was typical for him. Usually he was a very easygoing guy. Try being easygoing when someone's tying up the girl you care about and rubbing a gun over them threateningly.

Silence.

"Sorry." He wasn't, but he did feel bad yelling at her for saving his life.

"Me too." He smirked. She probably wasn't either.

"So what now?"

"Give me a minute." She was silent and still for a while, and he struggled not to speak and break her concentration.

Then she was beside him. He was so shocked he nearly shouted out. "How did you do that?"

She looked at him as if he were immeasurably dense. "It's a column. It's round." Scuttling closer, she was pressed against his side now. As much as he wished she weren't here, he was grateful to feel her presence and see her face.

Her hands were running over him awkwardly, tied as they were. "Uh, Elphaba? What are you doing?" She rolled her eyes, her head now on his shoulder as she stretched her hands to reach farther down his back. Now was not a good time for this interesting exploration, not that he would complain otherwise. He was about to tell her so when her hands found his. She quickly set to untying him, and he felt like a total idiot.

Free, he untied her, and they both untied their own feet. He stood, grateful for the exercise in doing so before when he didn't fall or need her help. They went to the window, but it seemed the goons had finally learned to nail the opening closed. He pried at the board, but it didn't budge. Turning to Elphie, he sought her intelligence. "Now what?"

Derisively, she sighed. "Isn't it your turn to rescue me?"

He looked at her for moment, trying to judge if she were serious. "Would you really want me to?"

She laughed. "I suppose not." Turning her attention back to the problem at hand, she stared contemplatively from the only door to the only window. "It's either the door or stay here. We could try to jump them." He shook his head, not liking the idea of the results of their failure. They had been angry enough with him for trying to escape without him assaulting them, and he didn't want them to touch her, let alone beat her. She sighed. "Then I suppose we're going through the door."

He looked at her as if she were insane. "Through the door?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, the door. You know, that thing with the little knob that goes into a different room?"

He sighed. "I'm aware of what a door is. And what do you propose we do once we go through the door and into the house full of kidnappers?"

She blinked at him. "Walk out?"

"Walk out?" He scoffed incredulously. "Right. And while we're at it, we can ask them for a lift to town."

"Better than staying here. No offense, but you're not exactly the only company I want for the rest of my life."

"Oh, and how pray tell do you plan on getting through the door. It's locked." And she was supposed to be intelligent.

"Is it? You're sure? You've tried it?"

"Well…no, but…" She always made him seem so brainless. "Surely they locked it. How stupid could they be?"

"They kidnapped you, didn't they?" Ouch, that was a little uncalled for. He couldn't see the benefit of offending the person one was rescuing. Then again, Elphaba was definitely unconventional as a knight in shining armor. At least her fascinating side made up for her frustrating side, which was really saying something.

"Well, you won't know till you try, will you?" She grinned wickedly, and strode to the door, turning the knob before he could continue his objections. Damn. She was right. The door swung open without even a creak, and she stealthily slipped through it. He had no choice now but to follow.


	3. Escape

AN: I wrote this chapter while stuck in Alien vs. Predator 2. It's surprisingly easy to write by light of the explosions.

* * *

She raced through the room at a crouch, looking every bit the larger than life heroine from a movie. He found himself a little too fixated on how lithe and agile she was, and he shook his head. She was just so…impressive. How she did it, he didn't know, and that question had filled him with curiosity for as long as he'd known her. He found her charisma far more unique a quality than her green skin, which was itself a mere accident of biology. Her spirit is what truly set her apart, all heart and no fear.

Amazon woman that she was, she had already reached the table of what appeared to be the kitchen. Fearlessly, she motioned for him to follow. Trying to keep low, he followed her far less gracefully, not being an Amazon woman himself. At least he managed not to break anything.

At the doorway, Elphaba held up a finger to halt, and he caught up to her. The men were in the next room, discussing his ransom. The testosterone crazed part of him longed to go punch them in the face repeatedly, but the reasonable part of him held that urge tenuously in check. Elphie was crawling on her stomach past the door, motioning for him to do likewise. The squirming motion was making his injuries ache, and he was grateful when they had past the open door so he could return to his feet.

This was far too simple. They had passed unchallenged so far, and he couldn't help thinking their luck would never hold.

Sure enough, as soon as he sighted the door, he heard a "Hey!" from behind him.

"Run!" He grabbed Elphie's hand and pulled her toward the door. Running for their lives, they raced to the nearest cover they could find, hoping their pursuers didn't have that gun handy. Racing them, Elphie dragged him through the trees, once again impressing him with her athleticism.

Ducking, he nearly hit a branch head on, and then a log appeared to attack his feet. Apparently sprinting through the forest was not the easy feat it appeared, particularly when ruthless kidnappers were right behind you. He pushed his tired and beaten body to overcome the pain, drawing on his adrenaline for speed and endurance. Better to crash physically later than to crash to the ground here and return to that cell. He skidded over the loose dirt, and Elphaba reached out, helping him regain his balance. They ran with hands held for a while, a lifeline of strength running between them until the approaching tree trunk ahead severed the link.

He glanced over his shoulders at the men behind him. Pumping his arms and legs as if he were uninjured, he actually managed to keep up with Elphie, leaving the kidnappers behind if only by a stone's throw. He much preferred that to a few paces, though.

They dodged the trees, until Fiyero tripped over a knoll with a curved out edge. It had a decent overhang on the opposite side, and he called her back. They ducked quickly underneath it, covering themselves with leaves before the men could see. Elphaba threw herself over him to use her green skin as camouflage. They were breathing heavily from all the exertion, and at this rate, they would easily be heard and recaptured. He held his breath, trying to distract himself with thoughts of the girl on top of him. It was no good. The sound of footsteps drove even that from his mind.

Now breathless with fear, they both held deathly still. The footsteps approached and slowed. Stopping, the men seemed to be trying to tell which way they went. For a horrible moment, it sounded as if they had been discovered, and his leg twitched horridly watching to run. Still holding their breaths, he locked eyes with Elphaba, seeing fear for perhaps the first time in them. Then the steps retreated, having picked a direction for their imagined flight.

They stayed hidden a bit longer, just in case. Taking a deep breath, he struggled to slow his racing heartbeat. She shifted above him, her body sliding quite pleasantly across his. "This is my kind of rescuing," he whispered to her. Her eye rolling somehow made him feel better, as if everything were normal.

She rolled off him, pulling him up. He winced as the forgotten pain in his side flared brutally. "Come on."

Keeping to the trees, they raced as stealthily as they could to put distance between them and their hunters. After traveling at least five miles through the woods, they headed toward the road. They didn't dare flag anyone down, he realized, for fear of landing back with their attackers. He knew he would rather do just about anything than go back to that basement, including spend the night outdoors. Hugging the road, they found themselves approaching a small town near sundown.

They kept to the shadows, trying to look inconspicuous as they searched for a place to spend the night. It was not too difficult to find the only inn in town; the real trouble came deciding how to get the rooms. Elphaba was – distinctive. Not the best for making a subtle impression, though Fiyero was hardly better in his beaten state. Of course, all this was very paranoid of them, but they had to assume the kidnappers were smart enough to come looking for them in the neighboring town's hotel.

In the end, it was decided Fiyero would go, though they paused to buy him a shirt and hat to hide the worst of his injuries. He donned them stiffly, the trek there having wreaked havoc on his damaged body. "How do I look? She made a sarcastic comment as usual, then tidied his hair and attempted to make him more presentable. When she handed him some money, he felt so totally rotten for taking it despite his lack of alternatives. "I'll pay you back, I swear."

She smiled at his chivalry. "Pay Galinda back. It's hers." Oddly enough that made it easier, though how he couldn't say.

He went inside then, trying not to focus on how awful he must look. Blend in, he repeated to himself as if it would actually help. The clerk barely glanced up. "How many rooms?"

"Two rooms please."

"For how long?" Still not even a glance.

"Just tonight." He swallowed, hoping it would really for once be this easy. So far, so good.

She quoted a price, and he counted out the money. It was short – considerably. "Uh…make that one room." She glanced for a millisecond to accept the money. He paid the new rate, and the clerk passed him a key.

"Room 243. Check out time is 11."

He slipped out, not happy about having to tell Elphaba. "Got it?" she asked simply. He nodded, holding out the single key awkwardly. Please understand, he thought, praying he wouldn't have to say it out loud. She stared at it a moment before nodding and taking the key. "Let's go."

Once in the room, he felt a lot safer than he had in days. All business, Elphaba located the first aid kit and came to him. "Take off your shirt." She was so matter of fact, as if she'd asked him to pass the paper. He blinked, wishing she were blushing or smiling, anything to show he affected her at all. With it off, she started treating his wounds clinically. He was stoic as the antiseptic stung the various scrapes and cutes, but he winced as she tested his side and swollen eye.

"I think your rib's broken. And this eye needs some ice." She got up to fetch some, but he caught her hand.

"Are _you_ alright?"

"I'm not the one with hamburger meat for a face right now."

"Thanks. That makes me feel loads better, but that doesn't answer my question."

She smiled, "I'm fine." She squeezed his shoulder lightly, pulling free from his grip. Like a butterfly, she would just land on his heart and fly away, unaware of the consequences.

He stood with difficulty, limping over to the sink. It was one thing to feel horrible, and quite another to see exactly how badly he looked. Aches that felt quite small were now multiplied when he saw how nasty they looked. He certainly wasn't the handsome prince now at any rate. Sponging off the worst of the dirt and dried blood, his face started to look more like a face. Elphaba had rinsed his shirt which had gotten stained with blood even in the half hour he'd worn it.

Suddenly he wanted a bath more than anything as he realized how filthy he must be after a week of no bathing. He called out what he was doing, and Elphaba slipped out to go obtain food for them. Filling the tub with warm wonderful water, he stripped his torn, dirty clothes off. As he slipped into the water, he felt the weight of everything floating away with the dirt. The soap stung his cuts, but far less than the cleansers had before. The glorious clean feeling he felt as he stepped out of the bath was exhilarating.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he wandered out into the room. Elphaba returned with food, and she raised an eyebrow at his lack of clothing. He had already washed and hung his clothing up to dry, but it would be quite a while before it finished. Smirking at his slightly embarrassed look, she tossed him some shorts she had thought to purchase for him. "Wow. You're so thoughtful," he teased.

"Just didn't want to deal with you naked all night."

He flirted, feeling much more like his old self. "And why's that?"

She didn't rise to the bait, dropping the food on the table and heading for her own bath. He investigated the bag as he heard the water start running. Fruit, bread and cheese - he made a face. "This is all girl food," he called through the door to her.

"So sue me," she called back, and the soft splash sound he heard must mean she had entered the water. He tried very hard not to think of what she must look like at this moment just on the other side of the door.

He ate greedily despite his objections, reclining gratefully on the bed. When the door opened and she emerged, he glanced over nonchalantly. His jaw dropped. She was wearing a shirt similar to the one they'd bought for him earlier, and her long wet hair that slicked back from her face was dripping on the loose, thin fabric. His eyes traveled over her greedily, noting the remarkable contrast of black on white on green.

She was untangling her hair, unaware of the tempting sight she made. When she looked up and caught his eyes, she said simply, "The other was too badly stained. I couldn't get it out. You can wear this one tomorrow instead." He could wear the shirt that currently contained her otherwise naked body? It was too much for his brain to process.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and he scooted over. "I can sleep on the floor if you'd like," he offered respectfully while really hoping she would refuse.

"Don't be silly. You're hurt." She brushed him off as if there were absolutely no problem to them sharing a bed. If only she had shown even the remotest sign of attraction toward him…but alas, she had not. Probably in her mind it was as dangerous as sleeping beside a brother, or puppy.

Regardless, he was grateful for the invitation, not having slept in a bed for so many nights that he'd developed a real appreciation for it. Sighing happily as he slid between the sheets, he was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.


	4. Buttons

Waking, he yawned widely and blinked as he remembered his surroundings. Elphaba was lying against him, still in the tormenting shirt, and he held her wrist on the opposite side of his body. It seemed even asleep they continued their false conflict, bodies replacing words in their pretend dislike. She stretched her long, lanky body against him, and he was not so distracted by life and death issues this time to be unable to enjoy it. As pleasant as it was, he had no wish for her to wake with him so enamored by her and unprotected in these shorts. He did not wish to add to his injuries.

He sat up, gently removing her from his shoulder, and fought his groaning muscles to stand. The night of sleep had helped enormously in making him feel human, but a day of hard running through forest still echoed in his joints, not to mention the week of crouching that screamed in his muscles. He padded to the sink, splashing some water on his face, and noticed that the swelling had gone down considerably. His other eye now opened, though it was still discolored, and the worst of the angry red scratches had faded to a dull pink.

The clothes in the next room were dry, though his pants were as stiff as his muscles. He pulled them on, longing to have to take his shirt from her in the interest of obtaining breakfast. Surely it had nothing to do with her lack of alternative clothing. Surely.

He resisted, turning instead to peer out the window at the breaking day. Her own yawn alerted him to her wakefulness, and he called her to him. She came to his side, leaning close to look through the window with him. Why couldn't she put some clothes on for God's sake? He almost forgot what he was going to say at the sight of her, hair tussled by sleep and the buttons near the top undone. The hem fell far enough past her hips to be decent, but just enough. What had he been going to tell her?

Oh right. "Look. Recognize that man?" He pointed, and she sighed heavily.

"Great. I was really hoping they wouldn't find us until we'd left town at least."

"What now? All the exits face toward them." He cursed his lack of intellect, looking at her for more deliverance. "I'd figure us a way out, but I'm far too stupid for that."

She laughed lightly, "You know, it's no fun when you steal my ammunition." Her attention returned to the problem, and it was several moments before she spoke. "You know, you're not stupid."

It took him so off-guard. He had completely forgotten their earlier repartee, but he smiled at her non-insult. "Thanks."

"I mean it." She turned to hold his eyes. "It's just teasing. I know you've a brain under all that charm." She said the word charm almost like an insult, and he was speechless at this unsolicited comment. Just like that, she turned back to the window, dismissing him from her thoughts.

He would never cease to be amazed by her. She kept him completely unstable, dodging his expectations like their would-be re-kidnappers. Inspired by her confidence in him, he came up with a plan. Probably a stupid plan, but a plan all the same.

"We could wait until someone walks by and use them for cover," he suggested, ready to play it off as a joke.

Elphaba stared at him for a moment, and he wished he hadn't said anything. "You know, that just might work…." She continued rattling off conditions that would have to occur, but she concluded with, "Fiyero, you're a genius." He raised his eyebrows, but she just ducked into the bathroom to get dressed, tossing him his shirt as she emerged.

He pulled it on quickly, trying not to focus on how he was surrounded by the smell of her now. He couldn't get the stupid loose top buttons to stay, and now he could see why they had popped open in her sleep. Elphaba smirked at him, "You do dress yourself, don't you?"

"Not if I have a better alternative." He flirted, and then regretted it when he heard how it sounded.

She swayed closer, and he held his breath. Surely a ridiculous line like that hadn't worked on her. It might have made half the girls at Shiz giggle and swoon, but she was too far above any of that to be impressed by him.

Leaning in, she closed the top button, tightening the string to make it stay. "It may not come off now," she tossed her hair out of her eyes, working on the second button, "but it should stay at least." He couldn't move, transfixed at her proximity. She wasn't teasing or ignoring him now, though it was a far cry from hitting on him. Speechless, he nodded. She leaned back, checking her handiwork, and convinced, she let her hands slide down his chest, smoothing the wrinkles. "There. Looks almost presentable."

He caught her wrists, desperately wanting her to do that again. "It looked better on you." It came out more serious than he had intended, but no more than he had meant. They stayed locked that way for a long moment, both of them trying to judge the other's reaction.

Then she stepped back, breaking the spell as if nothing had happened. Had it? He couldn't be sure. At least she hadn't slapped him, but that could be just because there was no available area unwounded already. She was not likely to kick a man while he was down.

A couple people passed by, but each time she shook her head. Finally a large group came, and she smoothly slipped through the door to blend in, pulling him with her. Mingling surprisingly easily with the crowd, they swept past their attackers. Elphaba seemed to be using him almost as a shield to block her telltale skin, wrapping his arms around her from behind and ducking down so her hair fell over her face. Fiyero himself turned his head toward the opposite way, hoping he looked different enough with his wounds washed.

Somehow she managed to make this look commonplace, the two resembling giddy lovers on holiday perhaps. He had never had this much physical contact with her before, the last day or so strengthening the ember of interest that he had already held for her. Fighting it, he focused not on the beautiful girl in his arms but on the dangerous criminals laying in wait.

This became easier as he noticed the crowd dispersing around him. Elphaba noticed too, and he felt her muscles tensing. He prepared to run with her, not certain what her plan was, but even with their cover slipping away, she kept her pace inconspicuous. Finally they reached the street, an empty carriage happening to cross by. He flagged it down, hoping no one else glanced over.

They slipped into the carriage unseen, paying the driver to take them to the nearest town over and using the last of Galinda's money. Once they arrived there, he asked the man to take them to the bank. Withdrawing enough cash to get them comfortably home, he felt much better that at least he could pay for her now. Meanwhile, she had vanished to comb her hair and become more presentable, not having a chance to once they had begun their frantic flight.

It seems they were quite some distance from Shiz still, days even by carriage, and he was surprised having remembered only one day of travel with his capturers. Elphaba nodded as if this were totally understandable, finally explaining to him that he had likely been unconscious for most of it. She argued against a private carriage despite its discretion and control. The driver would eventually need to rest, and it was the most likely transportation for the men to be checking. "Who would expect the great Prince Fiyero to take public transportation?"

He was wounded by her scoffing, but he tried not to show it. They found their seats, oddly fitting in with the ragamuffin rubble already present, and as the journey began, he found himself again grateful for her company. At first it was quiet, but finally he was able to cajole conversation from her, topics naturally leading to taunting him. She refused to let him sit by the window in case they were spotted, claiming "Galinda would kill me if I lost her darling Fiyero."

He shook his head wearily. "How many times must I break up with her before she believes me?"

Elphaba smirked, "Well, four didn't seem to work. Five?"

He laughed. "Actually, I was in the middle of a fifth when I was kidnapped. How's that for irony?" Her head tilted to the side, and he explained, "To be trying to obtain one's freedom only to have more of it snatched from you?"

Serious abruptly, she looked at him deeply, "Is it really so bad? To be with Galinda?"

He knew enough about the fierce loyalty Elphie had for the blonde to not even consider answering affirmatively, though he felt the need to be honest. Sighing, he said, "It's not her. She's sweet and funny and pretty and adorable and all that a guy should want."

She waited, but he didn't continue for a moment, "But?"

"But, it's an awful feeling hurting someone simply by wanting something different. As much as I want her to be happy, I just don't feel that way about her anymore. I wish she would understand that. It's not that she's not perfect. I suppose it's just that I…" he didn't know how to finish without it coming out wrong.

"Want more." She finished for him quietly, and he nodded. "That's much more thoughtful of an explanation than I expected."

"Yes, well, I can't be brainless all the time, can I?" he joked, trying to restore the levity their conversation was sorely lacking.

"Again stealing my firepower." She shook her finger at him like a naughty puppy. "Bad Fiyero!"

He grasped her finger, surprising them both when he kissed her hand. Shocked, she looked at him intently. "Thank you, by the way….for saving my life." He clarified at her confused look.

She actually blushed, and part of him rejoiced inside. "I told you. I did it for Galinda."

For the first time he had the suspicion that perhaps she had not done so merely for friendship with his blond admirer, but the delusion didn't last. "Either way, I'm not dead now because of you. Thank you."

The blush deepened, and she fell to staring outside the window. He smiled at her, and then leaned back to pass the long ride with a hopefully equally long nap.


	5. Signs and Stops

This was Fiyero's first time on a train, though not out of arrogance. A carriage was just more convenient, and anyway, the Vinkus was not really accessible by train. He had to admit, it was nice to have some freedom to stand up and move around, but he would have enjoyed the privacy with Elphaba. As it was, night was falling, and the train pulled into its last station for the evening.

"I thought trains ran overnight?" he asked his companion, but she shook her head.

"That's the express."

"Oh. So I got the wrong tickets?" He felt bad, hoping he hadn't ruined everything. She didn't respond, and he felt so stupid and simultaneously defensive. After all, he had done the best he could after she had vanished to go buy a book. She hadn't specified. How was he to know?

Everyone else got up, finding their way off the train, but he stayed seated, answering her arched eyebrows with his own. She tilted her head, and he parroted the move back. This made her smile, and as always her genuine smile melted his heart and dissolved his bad mood. She led him out, and he had no choice but to follow her.

"The tickets are fine. There's nothing wrong with the slower route." Her eyes held a second meaning, but he dismissed it as his imagination.

She led them to the ticket booth, consulting the maps to select the right route. He was baffled by all colored lines with their numbers, letters and asterisks. No wonder he'd gotten the wrong ones. She told him something about a connecting train, and though he was confused, he didn't ask, not wanting to look even less intelligent.

Next they were off to the hotel with mercifully two rooms now that he was paying. It was lonely without her there, but at least he could regain his composure. She'd really gotten under his skin enough this morning with that shirt and button thing, and he was having trouble shaking it off. Said button was just as difficult to undo as she had feared, and when he finally got it to disengage, the damn thing popped off, flying across the room. So much for that shirt, he thought miserably. He was two for two with them so far.

He sprawled across the bed, picturing her lying in her own…or better yet, lying next to him, her soft skin against his bare chest again. She was so toxic, seeping into his brain to drown it in male fantasies. When he only saw her for moments a day, it was easier to resist, but with her surrounding him all day, he felt buried alive in her. As he slipped to sleep, he could almost feel her there.

Blissfully asleep, he fought the knocking to hold on to his rather enjoyable dream. He was immune to the sunlight streaming to assault him. No one could sleep late like Fiyero could sleep late.

The pounding came again, and then Elphie's voice. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, his dream slipping through his fingers. Sighing, he pulled his pants on and opened the door. Her eyes panned across him once, and he felt that usual embarrassed feeling that she was so good at inspiring.

"What exactly is your aversion to shirts?" She taunted, and he bit back his own offer to remove hers. He held up the button, and she laughed. "Come on, we have to catch the train."

He dressed in his old clothes, feeling so rumpled and dirty. Fresh clothes were his second priority, the first being breakfast. However, it seemed she had different plans. Dragging him straight on the train, he plopped into his seat with far less gratitude than he had yesterday.

Grouchy, hungry and scruffy, he was quickly bored. Kicking his leg did not keep him occupied, and he was already too well-rested to nap. He tapped his fingers on his leg, coming to realize how annoying it was. With an evil grin, he let his tapping wander across his leg and onto hers. She pushed his hand back over, and he let it wander back. He seemed to be enjoying his new game far more than she did, and finally she swatted his fingers off viciously. "Can I help you?"

He grinned. Ah, the sweet taste of victory. Looking innocent, he turned to face her, "What?" The stare she pinned on him made him crumble. "I'm bored."

"How unfortunate for you." She pulled out her book and started reading it markedly. He sighed. If she read, he would never have any entertainment.

"What're you reading?"

"The Life and Times of Shameful Sorceress of the South." She didn't glance up, turning the page to demonstrate her attention to the book rather than him. That sounded about as interesting as a study of worms. Elphie had such … intellectual tastes.

He feigned interest anyway. "Oh, who's it by?"

"You can read the cover to find out." She was ending the conversation, but he was not so easily dismissed. He merely reached over and pulled the book from her. "Hey!" She grabbed for it back, but he dodged easily. This was much better, he reflected as she stretched to try to recapture the book. Catching her with an arm around her waist, he held her against him with her book out of reach.

"Well hello there." He waggled his eyebrows at her in a comical overacting of suggestive flirting.

She scoffed and pushed against his shoulder angrily, trying to pry herself free. "Let me go."

He smiled at her. "No." He rather enjoyed his prey where she was, and he was not inclined to give up his entertainment so easily.

She narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I said no. You do know what that word means don't you?"

Glaring, she pushed him hard in his side, making him hiss with pain as he released her and fell over. Immediately her look of anger changed to remorse. "Fiyero? Oh my God…I'm so sorry. I forgot about your ribs. I…Are you okay?" He held up a hand, stopping her.

Sitting up with a sharp, stabbing pain in his side, he grimaced. "It's my own fault. I started it."

Apologetic, she was at least paying attention to him now. They talked easily for a while, and Fiyero was glad she was the one who rescued him instead of Galinda. There's only so much conversation about nail polish and shoes that he could take. He much preferred her discussion of politics and literature, though he felt woefully ignorant in all the subjects that interested her. He wondered if she viewed him as a male Galinda, nice surface but with no deeper substance. Luckily, she had a habit of ranting passionately if he touched the right subject, and then he could just watch her talk with eyes shining and hands waving.

His fond smile made her wary, and she finally stopped mid-sentence to say, "What?"

He shifted his eyes left to right, "What 'what'?"

"What do you keep smiling about?" This of course prompted said facial expression to return full-force. "You just stare at me and smile." She was getting increasingly aggravated, causing his offending smile to correspondingly widen. He was so enchanted by her. "What is it that's so entertaining?"

"You." He said simply.

He couldn't help but admire how her eyes flashed intensely, so beautiful and deadly all at once. Scorn penetrated the word, "Why?"

He shrugged. He had no answer she would understand. "Because you make me smile."

She rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her book, and he contented himself with watching her read. Looking up to meet his gaze, she tilted her head, annoyed. "Did you need something?" He shook his head pleasantly enough, continuing to watch her. She raised her eyebrows, then making an annoyed sound, turned her grimace back toward the novel.

The fierceness in the way she flipped the pages reminded him of that day they had been recaptured, and he remembered the bold look in her eyes even when the gun was pressed into her abdomen. "How do you do that?"

She blinked at him, not following the jump in conversation. "Do what?"

"You're not afraid of anything. How do you do that?" Her lips pressed tightly together in the vaguest imitation of a smile.

She dodged, "What brought that up?"

"I was just wondering. It's very impressive."

The annoyance had seeped out of her voice now, and she seemed taken aback. "No it's not. Of course I'm afraid of things."

"You don't show it."

"I don't always have to show everything I feel, do I?" She looked at him meaningfully, but he didn't get it. She certainly showed anger easily enough.

"So what are you scared of then?" Finally they had found a subject that totally fascinated him. She was so mysterious, so brave and fierce. What could possibly scare her? He couldn't begin to imagine, and if he had one gift in life it was a very overactive imagination.

She looked away, staring out the window. "Why the sudden interest in my fears?"

He shrugged. "It's not really sudden. I've always been fascinated by you." He suddenly realized how much that gave away, but he resisted the urge to take it back. It was true after all.

She scoffed a little. "Is that so?" He knew she was usually a subject of curiosity for her skin, but he couldn't think of a sensitive way to bring it up and clarify that was not his interest. His ribs already hurt enough to remind him to keep his mouth shut.

"If it bothers you, we don't have to talk about it."

Challenged, her pride compelled her to deny any discomfort. "I just don't see why you'd find it interesting, but it's fine. It doesn't bother me."

For her cooperation it was best to pretend apathy, so summoning his finest puppy dog face, he flopped his chin on his palm. "I'm very bored. Indulge me?" She hesitated, but he could tell she was weakening. Pressing a finger to his lips in imitation of their professor, he inquired, "What is it that can get under the fearless Elphaba's skin?"

She was focused on the retreating scenery again, and when she finally spoke, her voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear it. "I don't know. Lots of things I guess. I'm not really all that fearless."

He didn't argue as that wouldn't help matters. He waited, but she had trailed off. "Lots of things like what?" No answer, but he could see she was uneasy. "Curling irons? Those scare me, especially when Galinda starts gesturing with them."

She chuckled, nodding. "Makeovers."

He gave a melodramatic shiver. "Ooh! That's a terrifying word if I ever heard one." She smiled, and he continued, realizing he had hit on a goldmine. "Barnacles. I don't know why, but they frighten me."

"Barnacles? Really? They've always struck me as comical, just the way it sounds. Barnacles…barnacles…" She repeated the word a few times until they were both laughing hysterically at nothing.

"Your turn." He prompted.

She approached serious, a smaller fear to gage his reaction. "Water." She held her breath, ready to play it off as a joke if he should take it as such.

He was surprised, but he didn't let it show. "All water?"

"Just large amounts of it." He nodded to encourage her. "I've always been afraid of it, as if it would melt me." She let out a nervous laugh, but he didn't join her.

"But you bathe…" He blushed a little at this intimate knowledge of her, feeling her potential embarrassment as if it were his own.

"Well, it doesn't really melt me. That'd be ridiculous." He smiled a little. He would have to help her overcome that fear someday, and he lost himself momentarily in a mini-daydream of many days with her in progressively less modest bathing suits. She shook him from his thoughts when she continued softly, "It just…frightens me I guess. No real reason. Stupid, right?"

His hand on her shoulder, he was somber as he said, "Not stupid. Not stupid at all." The smile that dawned on her face was so sweet, and he guessed that she didn't have a lot of experience trusting people, certainly not enough to admit a fear that most would not ridicule her for.

"Your turn," she said itching to be out of the spotlight.

He decided a fear to rival her own was required. "Well, I was pretty damn scared when they had you hostage." She looked up, surprised that he would mention her. "I mean, I was scared enough when it was just myself, but when they put that gun…" He couldn't continue, the fingers on her shoulder digging in slightly. She put her hand on his in a simple reassuring gesture, and he regained his composure. "Anyway, that was probably the most scared I've ever been in my life."

He cleared his throat, "Your turn."

She dropped her hand, hiding her eyes toward the window again, and the word that came next was so quiet he thought he had imagined it. "You."

"Me?" He felt as if he'd been punched. What had he ever done to frighten her? He would never hurt her, never. "How do I frighten you?"

She shrugged. "You're…different."

She didn't elaborate, and he could tell she wanted to drop it. He couldn't though. "Different how?" Frowning, she actively avoided his eyes as he tried to turn her to face him. "Elphaba, different how? What did I do?"

She shrugged helplessly. "You act like you care about me." She chewed her lip nervously, her voice less than a whisper. "You make me want to trust you. It's scary."

A grin split his face. "You…really?" She trusted him? That was huge – hell, unbelievable. She always guarded her trust jealousy, and for her to surrender such a precious thing to him…. He felt like kissing her, but he just reached for her hand. "You can trust me Elphie. I promise."

She smiled, but he knew the conversation for her was over. He had pushed too far, and now she felt awkward, not being one for confessions and soul-searching. She talked with her brain, not her heart, and the experience had not been nearly as pleasant for her as it had for him. He released her from the discussion, but he did not release her hand, amusing himself now by tracing patterns on it. Slowly, she relaxed, smiling as he tickled her palm lightly.

The train pulled to a halt, and Elphie turned to him. "This is our stop."


	6. Dress Up

They would have to wait a bit for the express train, but Fiyero was grateful for the time to grab some food and maybe clean clothes. Elphaba made a comment about checking the arrival time, but he couldn't wait any longer.

"Priorities," he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him to the first restaurant they saw. He was ravenous, this habitual skipping breakfast wreaking havoc on his metabolism. When he was finally full, he stood up. "Come on, we're going shopping."

She looked at him as if he had grown horns. "Are you sure you're not channeling the spirit of Galinda?"

"No nail polish. I promise."

Window shopping was much more fun with Elphaba's quips to entertain him, and he decided that next time his blond near-ex-girlfriend dragged him shopping, he was bringing her roommate for backup. After a tedious argument, he convinced Elphaba to let him buy her a dress, and they set out to find one, the blind leading the blind. He watched her sort through the clothes with amusement. She had none of the sparkle he was accustomed to seeing. Focused and serious, he could almost hear her brain whirring. Sooner she found something, sooner they could leave.

She was naturally drawn to all the black items, rejecting piece after piece for their cut or impracticality. The other colors didn't even get a second glance, and he contemplated refusing to buy her black. He had never seen her in anything else. Surely there was another color to flatter her unique complexion.

As he watched her, a clerk came up to him. "Does your girlfriend need any help?"

He didn't correct the woman, but instead told her conspiratorially, "She probably does, but she doesn't do well asking for help."

"Oh," she said quietly, nodding her head understandingly. "What is she looking for?" He tried in his infinite male stupidity to explain, and the clerk smiled at him indulgently. Watching Elphaba pick up yet another black dress, and she asked, "So is black the color she's looking for?"

"Probably, but I'd like to get a different color. Anything you could suggest?"

After a second look, the clerk said, "She has a very nice figure. That makes it easier." He smiled, thoroughly agreeing with the observation. Thoughtful, she pulled a few dresses from the racks in varying shades of brown, blue and maroon. Then, after a second look, she picked up a pretty white dress that Fiyero instantly wanted to see Elphie in. "It's a little expensive," she warned, but Fiyero shook his head.

"Price doesn't matter. I want her to have the best." His eyes didn't leave Elphie as he said this, but he heard the smile in the clerk's voice as she spoke again.

"She's very lucky."

He flashed a smile, and the words came out acceptably nonchalant. "I'm the lucky one. Trust me."

"Would you like a dressing room?"

He thought about just buying all the dresses, but he didn't know how many she would want to travel with. The clerk smiled, handing him a key and setting the dresses inside. He called Elphie over, taking her to the dressing room. "Fiyero, I can't wear these."

He looked at her blankly. "At least try them on."

"No, Fiyero..." She was exasperated, already annoyed at shopping in the first place. Her sarcasm was thick. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I have green skin… It tends to clash… You know, with other colors..."

He fought the urge to return her sarcasm and simply repeated for her to try them on. Then he gently guided her inside the dressing room, blocking her escape. After a long few moments, he knocked on the door. "Elphie?" No answer. "Elphie, did you change?"

"I'm not coming out."

"Then let me in."

"I look ridiculous."

"I'm sure you don't. Let me see." She unlocked the door, and he ducked inside. The white dress reminded him of how sexy she had looked in his white shirt that night, and the light, shimmering material fell so delicately that it showed off her soft curves until it flared to tickle her pretty calves. She was absolutely riveting. He had to touch her. Reaching a hand to the thin, soft cloth, he fingered the gossamer roses on the sash that ringed her thin waist. "Wow."

She blushed. "Fiyero, this dress is…"

He was stuck on, "Wow."

"…Not me."

"How is it not you?" He wanted to add how she was just as soft and beautiful, but he didn't think that would go over so well.

"It's so…feminine." She made a face, clearly not wanting to wear the dress any longer. "I look stupid."

"You look amazing. Please get this dress." She was unconvinced. "Name your price: anything, if you get this dress and wear it."

Suspicious, she narrowed her eyes, trying to read his mind. "Anything?" He nodded, a little nervous. "And I get to pick what you wear?" Even more nervous, he nodded. She grinned evilly. "Deal." She reluctantly got a second dress so they would not have to repeat this shopping trip, and with a small tote bag to carry it in, Fiyero paid for their purchases, hiding the price from her.

Grinning wickedly, she dragged him to seek her revenge, and Fiyero hoped she would be gentle. "I would make you go without a shirt, but you've demonstrated enough of that already."

He smirked. "I will if you will."

She rolled her eyes. "My point exactly." She wandered amongst the shirts, picking up atrocious prints: fuzzy leopard, plaid, pink with orange stripes. He winced, and she laughed at his horrified expression. Finally, she picked a winner, hiding it behind her back terrifyingly. "Take off your shirt," she commanded.

"Yes ma'am." He flirted, unbuttoning the shirt quickly.

"Close your eyes." He complied, and she guided his arms to the sleeves, buttoning it for him. He could definitely get used to this. The material was slick, and when he opened his eyes to look in the mirror, he was surprised Elphaba had picked it. The silk shirt was obviously very in vogue.

She looked at her creation proudly, and his eyes were dark from more than the shirt as he admired their images together in the mirror, black and white like yin and yang. "And you claim to have no fashion."

She shrugged. "I like black." That mischievous look was back in her eyes. "You're not off the hook yet though."

"You know, much as I would love for you to tell me to take off my pants, I think it's almost time for the train."

They headed back, and he couldn't help slipping an arm around her waist. That dress just undid him completely. In fact, it seemed to be working its magic on her also, as if it made her feel as beautiful and feminine as she denied herself to be. She smiled at him sweetly, and they flirted imperceptibly, a little extra sway in her walk, a little extra lean toward her. He couldn't keep his hands off her, and he hoped he wouldn't end up getting slapped by the end of the day.

The train ride passed amicably enough, and a peaceful quiet settled over them all as the late afternoon sun beamed through the windows. He glanced over at Elphaba and noticed she had fallen asleep. Her legs and arms were bent at odd angles to wedge herself in the seat with her neck nearly folded in half. He could either wait for her to fall accidentally or just rearrange her into a more suitable position himself. He chose the latter, and when he pulled her across his lap, she sighed softly. She snuggled into him, her head nuzzling into his stomach and her hand curling up against his hip. This was the life.

He watched her sleep for a while, alternately staring out the window. Her book was lying out, so he picked it up idly. It was actually surprisingly compelling, and he found the heroine quite admirable. She reminded him of Elphie, so brave and irrepressible. He gasped when her love interest was killed somewhere near the middle of the book, not at all expecting that.

Suddenly the train shuddered, the brakes squealing miserably against the track. He looked up surprised, and Elphaba stirred against him. "What's going on?" she murmured, and he shrugged, bewildered. She sat up, making him instantly miss the warmth and weight of her against him.

The train had completely stopped, and the other passengers were muttering to each other as well, trying to ascertain the cause of such an unusual delay. Finally, the announcement came that the train had broken down for some mechanical reason that was beyond Fiyero's knowledge, and that alternate transportation had been arranged to bring them to the neighboring town.

Elphaba sighed, "We're never going to make it back to Shiz at this rate."

Fiyero smiled sympathetically, "It'll be alright." He wasn't really in a hurry to get back, rather enjoying this time with her as a captive audience.

It was rarely restful to doze while traveling, and she seemed more tired from her nap than before. She resumed her awkward posture for napping, and Fiyero laughed. "Come here. I don't want you breaking your neck trying to sleep. How would I explain _that_ to Galinda?"

She shocked him when she actually complied, tentatively leaning her head on his shoulder. He returned to the book, and he had nearly finished reading it when their transportation finally arrived. He leaned over to wake her, and she shifted gently in her sleep so her face pointed up. The sweet, peaceful look there stole his breath, leaving him transfixed at the expression so contrary to her public persona.

There was no way he could wake her now, so he slid the book in their bag, hoisting it on his shoulder before gently scooping her into his arms. She sighed, arms naturally curling around his neck as he carried her out. He held her during the entire journey to the next town, and still she slept. It was only as they disembarked that another passenger jostled her in passing, not even bothering to call back his apologies. Elphaba stirred, tightening her arms around Fiyero's neck as if to hold more tightly to her dreams.

Slowly awareness brought her to the realization that her giant pillow was actually a person, and Fiyero held himself in check before he could kiss her forehead or rub her back. She pulled away, embarrassed that she had been wrapped around him so fully, and he made no mention of it so as to preserve their tenuous spirit of peace.

"Where are we?" her voice holding echoes of sleep.

"Town," he answered simply, not knowing which. They stepped off the train, and he saw their choices were few. It was late now, but she would probably not be sleepy after having napped the whole way here. Besides, he missed the company of a conscious Elphaba. "Want to get something to eat?"

She nodded, following him to a pub that appeared to be the only place open. They were quite overdressed, and he hoped it wouldn't get them trouble. Once at they table, Fiyero ordered a large beer without thinking, turning belatedly to Elphie for her reaction. With a secret smile, she ordered one too, eyes locked on his challengingly. He raised his eyebrow at her. She certainly had his attention.

"I didn't know you drank."

"You don't know many things about me, Master Fiyero."

The intensity was killing him. "Is that so?" Her lips curled into a smile, and he was totally hooked now.

"Quite."

"What don't I know about the enigma that is Elphaba?"

Another wicked smile had him begging for more. "The answer to that would fill a book, and I didn't think you were much for reading."

"Ouch. You're quite the feisty one now, aren't you?"

"Must be the lumpy pillow I had today."

He loved when she did that. Their banter made his pulse race, and they continued until their meal had been eaten. She slipped off to relieve herself, and he amused himself by watching the other patrons of the little pub. The dingy walls seemed to attract dingy people, many unkempt with ever-shifting eyes. When her absence was long enough for him to pay, he started to worry. Fiyero made it around the corner when he saw her, jaw set in anger as a repulsively drunk man was pulling on her wrist. She lashed out to remove her arm, and he fell against her and into the wall.

Fiyero wasn't even aware of what he was doing, but suddenly he was pulling the man off her, suffocated by the pungent alcohol wafting from him. Pushing the drunk away, he tried to ask Elphie if she was alright only to be pushed into the bar. The tinkling of broken glass and the flow of liquor over him almost distracted him from the sting of his reawakened injuries. Then the solid blow to his ribs made him double over in blinding pain.

This drew Elphaba into the fray, and she proved to be a better fighter than he could have imagined. Her kick knocked the asshole into the table opposite, spilling salad and beer all over the people there. She apologized, but the man spun up, a dinner knife in his hand. Scoffing, she kicked his hand, making the knife fly out and clatter uselessly on the floor. Panting they finally had the drunk at bay, only to find two constables entering the scene with very irritated expressions.

The barkeep pointed. "All three of 'em."

Fiyero tried to plead their case, but the taller officer shook his head. "I don't want to hear it. Lock up all three of 'em, and let's sort it out in the morning."

Elphaba's eyes were gigantic. "Are you serious? We were just defending ourselves!" Fiyero sent a look to shut up, but she wasn't giving him any heed.

The short one snapped the handcuffs on her first. "Keep your mouth shut if you don't want it to get worse." He shoved her through the door, and Fiyero prayed somehow she would keep her temper. He hung his head, knowing the cause was probably hopeless.

A night of jail was not exactly the ending to this previously pleasant day that he had expected.


	7. Cold Cell

Fiyero was wedged between the fumingly angry girl on his left and the fumingly drunk man on his right. He envied the person only having to face a rock and a hard place.

One quick glance to the left showed how very pissed off Elphaba was, and he knew she was known for doing remarkably inconvenient things when in a temper. She had continued arguing with the constables since they had left the pub, a never-ending stream of belligerent challenges to their integrity issuing from her until even Fiyero was annoyed. Finally the taller one spun around, his face red, and told her bitingly, "Shut your trap, or we'll throw you in isolation."

She was about to utter a hasty comeback, and though Fiyero knew she wouldn't mind the punishment so much, he didn't want to be without her. He got her attention, and whispering to her, he beseeched, "Damn it Elphie, please. Just let it go. You can take it out on me later if you want, but please don't make me spend the night without you."

She glared at him, somehow angry with him as if this was all his fault, but she didn't say another word. The other constable called back tauntingly, "That's right. Listen to your man. Maybe he can keep you out of trouble. Women." Elphaba's eyes flashed with rage, but his prayers were answered when the one apparently in charge chastised his lieutenant, miraculously appeasing her enough to remain silent.

Somehow they managed to make it the rest of the way there without further incident, though Elphaba stared pointedly away from him. Fiyero sighed. This was going to be a long night. Once there, mercifully they just threw them in a cell and locked it, holding the taunts to a minimum. If they had searched them, if they had touched Elphie, he didn't know what either of them would have done, but it would have been bad. Even picturing it made him feel decidedly homicidal. He'd become more than a little protective of her despite her obvious ability to take care of herself.

The drunk merely slumped over to one corner, passing out almost immediately in a cloud of his own stench. This left Elphaba and Fiyero relatively alone, which was more than he could have hoped for when this whole ordeal started.

Elphaba's acerbic voice cut through the silence. "Well, this is fantastic. Great plan Fiyero." Her bottled temper released now in its full fury, and he knew it was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

Frustrated, Fiyero took a deep breath, still not managing to swallow the defensive tone that colored his words. "What did you want me to do?"

She tilted her head insolently, "I don't know. Anything would have been nice."

"Well, it's not like you were accomplishing much. Insulting them wasn't really going to convince them to let us go."

"As least I didn't just stand there like a spineless sycophant. Oz, Fiyero, do you always just roll over and play dead?"

While she was a great person, she had a fantastic temper, and she wasn't picky about whom she let it out on. "At least I'm not always picking fights. And I fail to see how you getting locked up in solitary could have done us any good." She ignored his logic, too mad to admit he could be right about anything. "Why can't you just learn to let things go? Why is it always the hard way?"

"Oh, that's funny, coming from you, Mr. 'Dancing Through Life'. It's always the easy way with you, isn't it? Anything that involves a little work or risk, and you avoid it like the plague."

Her words stung. So that's how she saw him? He would have walked away if they hadn't been in this cage together. Unfortunately, retreat was not an option. Struggling to keep his composure, he walked to the opposite side to gain some much needed distance as he felt himself upset enough to say words he knew he would regret later.

From across the cell, her voice was cuttingly brutal in its honesty. "See. You don't stand up for anything, not even yourself. Isn't there anything you would fight for?"

Angry himself, he flung the word, "You," at her. He turned away, unable to even look at her. He trained his gaze through the narrow slits of window between the bars. "I seem to recall fighting for you was what started this mess."

She huffed, but didn't respond immediately, his words sinking in. The silence that followed filled the air with a presence, leaving his thoughts reverberating in his ears. She was right. He had never fought for her, too afraid of hurting one girl and being rejected by the other. He may physically have fought for her, but he had certainly never faced his fears even for her. The easy road just always seemed safer - smarter. Even now, realizing his mistake, he couldn't overcome it. He couldn't face her rejection. Why would she ever want a brainless coward like him? He was such a fool.

Eyes looking up at the ceiling as if for divine intervention, "You're right," they both said at the same time, whirling to face the other. "I'm sorry," again in unison, and Fiyero smiled.

"Me first?" She nodded tersely. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that. It's not your fault."

She interrupted. "No, you were right. This is all my fault. I just get so angry, and…I say things I shouldn't. You've never done anything but try to help. You didn't deserve that."

He took a few steps toward her, "No, you're absolutely right. I always take the easy way. I should have stood up for you."

"No," she interrupted, "that wouldn't have done any good. We'd have just ended up spending the night alone and miserable."

"Maybe, but I still deserved everything you said."

"That's not true! I should have kept my mouth shut."

Sudden the absurdity of the situation hit him. "Why are we arguing now?" Closing the distance between them, he held out his hand, "Truce?"

She smiled and nodded, taking his outstretched hand. He pulled her suddenly to him before she could resist, and as he wrapped his arms around her, he could imagine he felt her lean into him. "I'm sorry I got us into this," she whispered.

"You didn't get us into anything. It's not your fault." He pulled her more tightly against him, and she let her arms circle his waist. "I believe I started that fight as I recall. Not to mention I'd still be tied up for ransom if not for you."

"I don't think you're much better off now."

She tried to pull back, but he wasn't ready to release her. "I'll get us out of this in the morning. I promise." She nodded, and he let her go regretfully. He sighed, wondering what they would do now with the long night ahead of them. Elphaba didn't seem in the mood for talking, and she had started pacing in the cell restlessly. If ever there was a creature in need of her freedom, Elphaba was it. He knew he needed to distract her or risk facing her unpleasant temper again.

He blocked her pacing. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"Maybe that's my plan." He couldn't help but laugh at the image of escape through a tunnel Elphaba paced into existence.

"Yes, well, as inspired a plan as that is, I told you, I'll get us out of this in the morning." She sighed in response, and he queried, "You do trust me, right?" Another heavy sigh, and she nodded reluctantly, turning to go sit down on the narrow bench in the corner. "Wait!" she froze, spinning to face him at his sudden outburst. "Don't sit there. It's filthy."

Her voice full of scorn, "I'll try not to let it hurt my delicate sensibilities."

"Your dress is white. It'll ruin it." Sure, they could always have gone back to get another version, but Elphaba wouldn't have let him. He had such an irrational attachment to the dress that encouraged her to flirt with him, and he felt a desperate need to protect it.

"Somehow I think I'll get over it."

"No. Don't. Please?" He moved to block her way, as surreptitiously as he could, and though she noticed, she didn't comment on it. The delicacy of her dress aside, the concrete was freezing, and he didn't want her to catch a chill through the thin fabric. Of course, that explanation would only have resulted in an extensive lecture about how she could take care of herself as well as almost have guaranteed she would stride immediately to sit on the bench.

She took one look at his patented puppy-dog eyes, and almost growled in frustration. "What is your deal with this dress? It's just cloth."

"But…it's so beautiful." She shook her head at his unreasonable response.

"Well, what do you want me to do? Stand up all night?"

He grinned. "Well, you could always take it off." She glared at him, and he laughed, "Fine. You're no fun at all." She moved toward the bench again, and he called, "Wait! You could sit on…" he looked around frantically, "my shirt since I don't have a jacket. That way your dress isn't ruined"

"No, Fiyero. For once you're going to keep your shirt on."

He pouted a little. "Well, then you'll just have to sit on me." She arched her eyebrows, and he sat on the bench, patting his lap suggestively.

She replied dryly, "No thanks. I'll just stand."

Having found his amusement, he smiled, "Suit yourself," and he lounged back against the wall with several annoying noises of relaxation to taunt her with. She resumed pacing, but he knew with the seed planted in her mind, it was only a matter of time before she wanted what she couldn't have. Given the freedom to sit, she wouldn't have lasted two seconds before she would have wanted to pace again. Denied that freedom, it was suddenly all she wanted.

Sure enough, she stopped pacing, turning to him. "You're serious?" He nodded solemnly, fighting the levity he felt. "The stupid dress means that much to you?" He nodded again, not chancing to say how much more its wearer meant to him. She sighed, defeated, "Fine. Have it your way." To his utter surprise, she actually perched on his lap, though she leaned away from him, precariously supporting her weight on her legs.

"See. Was that so bad?"

She made a soft sound of disgust that made him grin broadly. Silence reigned, and he noticed her shivering, the thin fabric still not protecting her against the cold.

"Come here. I promise not to assault you. Just imagine I'm a giant pillow again." He pulled her into a more balanced position, and she glowered at him. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her to lean against him. Heaven. He was clearly in Heaven. She shifted, and he tried to think about anything except how good she smelled and how soft she felt. It was quite hard work to behave in spite of his thoughts so dirty they could turn her white dress black.

"This is ridiculous. Why can't I just sit on the bench?"

He pouted, trying to make her laugh but also trying to make her stay. She rolled her eyes. "What's the matter? Am I that irresistible?" he baited.

With her trademark dry sarcasm, "Of course you are. Look at me swooning."

"And I'm not even trying yet."

She raised her eyebrows, "Yet?"

He considered his alternatives, and opted to let himself pretend to be pretending to flirt. It was a great outlet for his actual desire to flirt with her. Unleashing his inhibitions in the pretense of pretension, he let his eyes wander over her seductively. "Would you like me to start?" She had carefully given no reaction, guarding her thoughts with that cool façade that she was famous for. He leaned closer, whispering now, "I'd be happy to oblige."

She squirmed slightly, though otherwise she held up her cool front. "Why would I want that?"

He tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger. "Am I making you nervous?"

"Are you trying to?"

He grinned at their baiting. "Is it working?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Why are you answering me with questions?"

"Why not?"

He had to concede to the master, recognizing he had met his match. "Ooh, you're good." She smiled smugly, and he had never wanted her more in his life. Well, maybe when she had been wearing his shirt...

They lapsed into a silence, which, while not uncomfortable, was not exactly comfortable either. He was painfully aware of her body against him. She shivered again, and without thinking, he rubbed her arm to warm her. As he became aware of the movement, it slowed and lightened, going from comfortably friendly to awkwardly sensual, and it drew her stare to his hand. His breathing became suddenly shallow as he was again reminded of their close proximity. Leaning toward her, his lips brushed her hair. Her head snapped up to face him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open with astonishment, and he couldn't help his gaze's drift to her lips. The air was filled with tension, and for a second his imagination ran wild with him merely a passenger. His head inclined a minuscule millimeter toward hers before he could fight the attraction, and she leapt away from him as if he had electrocuted her.

"You know, I think I'll stand after all." She crossed her arms, resuming her pacing though definitely more jumpy now. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. What was wrong with him? If he didn't cut it out, she was never going to speak to him again, if she didn't kill him first. With a deep breath, he willed himself to remember she was technically his girlfriend's best friend, and much as he wanted to pursue her, she was thoroughly and completely off-limits.

"Sorry, that was out of line."

"Don't mention it." Whether she was dismissing it as unimportant or not wanting to acknowledge it happened, he couldn't say. Either way, she didn't seem inclined to resume their conversation. He was frustrated as he could almost see her hard-earned trust in him dissolving. His eyes followed her in her relentless track back and forth across the floor, and he recognized the resemblance. They never did seem to make any progress.


	8. Ransom

The night passed painfully slow, and while he had gradually made his way back in Elphaba's good graces, he was tired from the strain of his restraint. He couldn't be this close to her, alone with her, for this long and not let his intense attraction for her somehow slip, and he realized how futile it was even as he guarded against it with renewed resolve. It was like holding your breath as you sank in quicksand, paradoxically pointless and yet deathly important.

Exhausted, they had at least regained a fleeting camaraderie that he hoped meant he was forgiven. She had even let him touch her hand, though only for the briefest instance as the guards approached. He fought the urge to reach for her, giving her the space she needed to regain her trust.

The obnoxious constable from last night arrived at their cell, giving Elphaba an appraising leer that actually had Fiyero wishing she weren't wearing the beautiful, but very form-fitting dress. He subtly stepped in front of her, feeling a strong urge to punch the man square in the jaw. It seemed Elphaba was quite talented at bringing out his inner savage, stripping him of his civilization without even a word.

Swallowing his fury, he struggled to present a composed face. Luckily he had some experience talking his way out of similar situations. "Officer, my companion and I are most apologetic for the unfortunate situation last night. I would be happy to pay any damages, and of course, we would like to contribute a donation in good faith toward your police charity to compensate for your inconvenience. We appreciate your attention to duty and public service. If there's anything we could do to demonstrate the integrity of our intentions…"

"Yes, yes, that's fine. You can go." Relieved, he took Elphaba's hand, leading her toward the door, but the constable grinned menacingly. "No, son, you can go, but she stays."

Fiyero furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry sir, but what has she done to require further incarceration?"

The cold beady eyes of the lewd lieutenant ran over her, raising more goose bumps on her already chilled flesh. "That's none of your concern son. Now, get to getting while the getting is good."

He stood his ground, blocking her a little more completely from view. "I'm not leaving without her."

She whispered behind him, trying to break free from his protective hold, "Fiyero, don't be an idiot. Get out of here."

Locking eyes with her over his shoulder he said sternly, "Not without you."

The officer sneered, "I don't see how she's worth it, but suit yourself." Then he slammed the door shut, trapping them again in the tiny cell.

She sighed, disappointment at the rescinded promise of freedom etched on her face, "You should have left."

He turned to her, fighting the urge to take her in his arms and left to settle for gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Tenderly, he echoed the words back to her from when she had returned to rescue him. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I wouldn't leave you."

She smiled slightly, and then sighed heavily. "Why did you stay Fiyero? You could have gotten help."

"I stayed for the gratitude," he teased before tilting her face up to him. "It's ok. I'll get us out of this. Just give me some time." She leaned up to kiss him lightly on the cheek, whispering her thanks, and he felt that savageness inside him resurface. Luckily he was able to resist the desire to pull her into a fiercely passionate kiss, though just barely. Just as quickly she was gone, resuming her pacing as they waited.

Several hours later, both constables came to the cell, and the one in charge called to the drunk, startling him from the deep stupor he'd been in since they'd arrived. "Your niece made bail for you again." Still stumbling, the man made his way out of the cell mumbling an insincere and rather incoherent apology, and Fiyero got the constable's attention.

"Sir, how much longer do we have to stay here? I've already offered to pay damages and any additional amount you require of us, and I've already offered our sincerest apologies. It truly was a misunderstanding, and I'm not sure what we've done to merit further imprisonment." He tried to keep the accusatory note from his voice, but they were certainly no more at fault than the drunk who had precipitated the entire encounter.

From their actions, Fiyero observed the junior officer had made no mention of this to the one in charge. The constable tilted his head as the lieutenant attempted to justify his actions, but the other man halted him. "You will pay damages as well as a fine." Fiyero nodded instantly. Money was not much of an obstacle. "And you have made a formal apology?"

Fiyero nodded, but the lieutenant spoke up, "He did, and I told him he could leave. It's the wench that didn't."

He narrowed his eyes to hear Elphaba called such, but again the constable chastised the officer. Turning to Elphaba, he said, "And you madam? You wish to offer your formal apology?"

Her jaw set, she did not answer.

"Madam, I'm afraid we require it for your release to avoid certain…unpleasant consequences. With it, we can allow the matter to be resolved amicably without more legal involvements and all the charges will be dropped. Of course, it is your option to wait for a trial, but then we would be bound to keep you here until the date it began. Perhaps you would like to reconsider?"

Fiyero turned to her, seeking her eyes, praying for once she could overcome her pride. She glared at the lieutenant who was looking at her smugly, arms crossed with a superior air. Eyes glowered and jaw set, Fiyero had the sinking feeling that she was going to refuse. Then she turned her gaze to Fiyero, and holding his eyes only, she softened, "I'm sorry."

Whether her intention was to apologize for her refusal to do so or to in fact issue a formal apology, the constable was appeased with that. "You may both go. It would be best if you were on your way as soon as possible." Fiyero didn't need to be told twice, and he grabbed her hand, half-dragging her from the cell and all the way to the station. They took the first train going in their direction, and only then did he breathe easily.

He was beginning to develop a true appreciation for his freedom from the past few days.

Having been awake all night, the two companions fell asleep nearly as soon as the train left the station, and Fiyero didn't wake until they had nearly reached Shiz. Finally, their journey seemed to be reaching an end, and Fiyero was looking forward to wearing his own clothes and sleeping in his own bed at last. Stretching, he turned to wake Elphaba, only to be captivated by her again. Her head resting gently on his shoulder again, he surrendered to the need to touch her. Kissing her hair softly, he let his fingers run over her cheek and onto her shoulder. Softly enough that she could choose to refuse, he asked her to wake up.

She stirred gently, and he felt a fleeting disappointment as they returned to themselves. Stretching sleepily, she asked where they were, perking up when he said how close they were to Shiz. "Finally. I thought we would never make it home." Glad as he was to finally be back, he couldn't help the sadness that she would soon return to her life without him. He wanted to hold on to her, but he could feel her slipping away with every mile closer.

They disembarked, walking the last few miles to the school in silence. When they reached the school, he turned toward his dorm, and she turned toward hers. He stopped, confused for a moment before he realized now that they were back, of course they would go their separate ways. Stuck at the crossroads, he reached for her hand, and she turned to him. "So…I guess…goodbye?" He wanted her to deny it, but they were merely acquaintances here. She smiled, nodded, and walked out of his life again.

He resolved not to watch her walk away, though it was quite a nice sight. Instead, he headed to his room for a welcome shower. Finally back in his own clothes, he lay back against his bed. After a moment, he got up, trying not to pace. It was so quiet. It was maddening. He had gotten so used to her there that the absence felt like a dark void consuming all the air around him.

Unable to take the boredom any longer, he went on a long walk around Shiz, trying to fill the silence with the noises of campus. He considered just going to find her. She was probably sick of him though, and he didn't want to intrude, knowing how intensely private she could sometimes be. Besides, what would he say to her? And going to find her meant seeing Galinda and having to tolerate her fawning over him. He wasn't in the mood to deal with that.

Still. He missed her.

Instead, he returned home, deciding to find the girls for dinner. Once there, he threw himself on the bed with a loud thump. Staring up at the ceiling, he counted cracks until the mind-numbing silence overwhelmed him. He elected to use his restless energy constructively, turning to clean his less than tidy room. As he picked up a pile of laundry to toss in the hamper, a note dropped on the ground at his feet, and he picked it up.

"If you ever want to see your little girlfriend again, you know where to find us. Bring twice the ransom. Tell the police, and she's dead."

His heart stopped, and he reread it several times before he was convinced of its reality. Slowly it sank in, the days of delays giving the kidnappers plenty of time to return to where they had captured him in the first place and lie in wait. Why hadn't they thought to go to the police in the first place? He cursed himself heavily then. Why had he let Elphaba walk back to her room alone?

Reading the last sentence again, he felt his blood run cold at the thought of them with Elphaba alone. The image of the bastard running the gun over her rose behind his eyelids unbidden, and he had to sit down. If anything happened to her… He couldn't finish the thought, and he merely grabbed his coat. Leaving immediately, he clung to the desperate hope that she would be alright until he could reach her.


	9. A New Direction

Fiyero raced outside, fighting the growing panic he felt. She had to be okay. She just had to. He could even think what he would do if anything happened to her. He couldn't handle it. Fear and regret filled him. He should have protected her. How could he have let this happen? Any thoughts of rational logic that whispered how she could take care of herself were immediately silenced by that damn note.

As he ran toward the train station, he caught a flash of green in the corner of his eye. Spinning, he nearly tripped himself trying to halt mid-stride. Was he hallucinating? No, could it be... Elphaba. She was walking toward him, smiling shyly. "I just thought I'd come make sure…" Her words were stopped as he reached her, pulling her immediately against him.

He clung to her, relief rolling through him in waves. She tried to pull back to look at him curiously, but he refused to let go even the slightest. He thanked every divinity in existence, holding the proof of her safety tightly against him. Finally, he pulled back enough to see her, shaking slightly as he checked for any hint of injury. He combed back her hair, turning her head to check her graceful neck, running his hands over her arms blessedly unmarked by bruises. Convinced she was unharmed, he crushed her against him again, whispering her name over and over again.

Surprised at the ferocity of his welcome, she joked, "You know, I just saw you a few hours ago." His laughter was desperate, closer to crying than an expression of frivolity. He pulled her even more firmly against him, grateful for the further proof of her safety. Awkwardly, she said in a squeezed voice, "Um, Fiyero, you're crushing me."

He loosened his hold, but didn't let go. As his adrenaline faded, he felt weak at the near miss. Leaning his forehead to rest against hers, he closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. He repeated the same two words like a mantra, "You're ok," calming his fears rather than hers.

Her sarcasm had vanished in the face of his obviously serious actions. "Fiyero? What's wrong? What's happened?" He could hear the note of fear he had transferred to her. Words failed him at the thought of explaining her threatened abduction, so he merely held out the ransom note. Though he had to release her to reach it, he restored his hold on her as soon as possible, watching her read the note.

She looked up, similar terror in her eyes. "Fiyero….Galinda!" He blinked at her, not comprehending. What did Galinda have to do with this?

Elphaba pulled free, racing toward their room, and he followed as he was still unwilling to let her leave his sight. As they ran, his fear-fogged brain slowly processed Elphaba's reaction. Suddenly it clicked. His girlfriend – Galinda. Not Elphaba. The fist around his heart tightened and loosened at the same time. Elphaba was safe, but Galinda, who was far less self-sufficient, was not.

Elphaba flung open the door, calling Galinda's name. Panting, she searched desperately for her friend, throwing open doors and searching for any sign of struggle. That was difficult as Galinda's side of the room was too messy to read for any chances. Elphaba's desperation was clear, as deep as his desperation to find her had been. She tore through the room frantically despite the obvious lack of the blonde inhabitant.

"Did you see her earlier?"

"No, I just thought she was out with friends. She's not really home all that much now anyway."

Dashing to gather her things, Elphaba threw clothes into a bag totally lacking her usual regard for neatness and organization. Soon her side looked as bedraggled as Galinda's, and Fiyero felt a certain thrill that she was coming with him. If he had thought for a second, he'd known of course she would. If she would leave in search of him at the blonde's request, she'd certainly leave no stone unturned to regain her lost friend.

He should have left to go pack his room, but he wouldn't leave her even knowing she was out of danger. That had been too close a call for him to take any chances. Wide-eyed, her gaze fell on him, and he took her hand. "We'll get her back. Let's go." She nodded, and the lost look hidden in her eyes was enough to send him racing. Apparently they had found another of her scarce fears.

She had never visited his room, and he was mortified that she should see it looking as it did now. Hastily grabbing a change of clothes, he pulled her out again before too much damage was done. Perhaps her worry would cloud her usually eerie powers of observation. He stuffed the clothes in her bag, taking it from her, and they set off immediately. In less than an hour from receiving the note, they were on a train, money in hand, and racing in an otherwise thoroughly unexpected direction – straight toward their captor's lair.

* * *

Elphaba kept fidgeting agitatedly so Fiyero took her hand to stop the relentless picking at her fingernails. "We'll get her back soon." She nodded, but her nerves obviously didn't go away. 

Neither of them had anything more useful to say, so they just rode in silence for a while. Elphaba stared out the window, grasping Fiyero's hand so tightly it started to throb. Otherwise any intruder would assume she was carefree with her placid expression and coolly relaxed posture. She could have been chiseled in ice but for her troubled eyes.

Night fell so clear and beautiful it belied their precarious position. So much for sleeping in his own bed tonight. Elphaba sighed, tired if not sleepy, and she leaned her head in its place on his shoulder. He supposed that was a fair enough trade.

Without thinking, he kissed the top of her head and slipped his arm around her, and she was too preoccupied to fight it. "How far away are we?"

She huffed, "Too far." Her fingers tensed twitchily against his chest. This must be killing her. He felt a twinge of guilt for enjoying this contact with Elphaba while Galinda was in trouble. He really was worried about his unshakeable girlfriend despite his desire to break free from her. The thought of her with those brutes was no more pleasant an idea for him than Elphaba captured.

He rubbed her shoulder gently. "It'll be alright. After all, we got away twice, no three times."

"But look what they did to you before we were able to." She trailed a fingertip lightly along the fading bruise outlining his eye, then down to his still tender ribs. Though it had been nearly a week, and his injuries had mostly healed themselves, he still bore a few scars from the encounter. He was all too aware of the danger Galinda was in. She was not one to handle inconvenience well, and if she cried over a broken nail, he shuddered to think how she would face that pillar or anything else that might come to pass. He prayed nothing else would come to pass.

Again the image of Elphaba and the gun rose in his mind, replaying like a horror movie, and he knew Galinda would show no such composure. With no ability to help the one girl, he concentrated on the one beside him. Whispering reassurances in her ear, he made promises he prayed they could keep. If only he could will the train to move faster…


	10. Galinda's Torture

Elphaba was tapping her fingers again, and it was driving Fiyero crazy. Their tension had only grown as the train neared their destination, and it seemed that the progress slowed down to taunt them in their helplessness. Not to mention both their nerves were frazzled by the second night of sleeping sitting up, and all of it was making both of them snippy.

Touching her fingers lightly to cease their obnoxious droning taps, he said, "It'll all be alright," with more patience than he felt.

"Stop patronizing me," Elphaba snapped, jerking her hand away, and he sighed, realizing how hopeless his position was as she would inevitable find some fault with whatever he said.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to help." In reality, he was annoyed, but he realized her reactions were totally normal for someone whose best friend was literally in mortal peril. Trying to remind himself of that, he took another deep breath, determined not to perpetuate their little spat.

However, she was unwilling to give up the fight so easily. "Well don't," she barked bitterly. He couldn't hide the flash of hurt that crossed his face, and her look of remorse completed the silent conversation. "Sorry."

He smiled forgivingly at her sincerity, offering his hand and smiling as she took it reluctantly. They watched the scenery, and after a moment, he said softly, "It will be though. Alright, I mean. Galinda's tougher than she looks." Elphaba grimaced, but he could see her relax subtly as she considered all the proof she had seen of his statement with her own eyes.

Feeling suddenly victorious, he laced their fingers together, squeezing her hand gently. Was that a faint smile, or was he imagining things? He dismissed it as his own eager optimism, though the glow it lent him didn't dissipate. Suddenly he realized exactly what a predicament he was in. He had allowed his attraction to totally overcome him, and now he was completely wrapped around her finger. Literally and figuratively. Squeezing her hand again, he realized there were worse things to be.

She pulled away, leaning her forehead on the window, watching town after town fleeting past. "Elphaba?" Reluctantly, she drew her gaze back to him. Knowing this was neither the time nor the place, he nevertheless asked, "When we get back to Shiz, will I still see you?" It had been bothering him since they had first arrived, before the ransom note had drawn them back, and he didn't want to go back to that feeling.

"Of course. I live with Galinda after all."

She was evading his question, so he asked it more bluntly, "I mean, are we friends?"

Taken aback, she just stared at him for a moment. "Yeah. We're friends. Why?"

"So if I came to visit you, you wouldn't mind?"

She tapped her fingers again, her own personal tell for anxiety. "Sure, I guess."

He knew better than to push for more, already ecstatic with the admission he'd just gotten as it was. He linked their fingers together again. "Good."

She started to say something but thought better of it. He tilted his head curiously, and she leaned up at the same time. Suddenly caught in each other's personal space, they held their positions, lips merely inches apart. It was the cell all over again, only he held completely still. Time frozen, if he hadn't been such a statue, he wouldn't have caught the infinitesimally microscopic lean forward she made. She blinked rapidly, obviously trying to process what to do. He countered her lean with an equally tiny one of his own, making them desperately close now.

This was crazy. No, this was genius. It was not a good idea. No, it was brilliant. What about Galinda, his girlfriend, remember, and her roommate? What _about _Galinda, who cared when Elphaba was _right there_? The war waged in him between his brain, and his heart. As always, his brain was the weaker partner.

He leaned forward to close the distance, and they very nearly kissed before Elphaba shoved him away, angry at what they'd almost done. "Watch it," she said as if it had been an accident to almost fall on her lips and kiss her passionately. She pulled back, refusing to acknowledge the passing moment of attraction, and Fiyero felt equal measures of disappointment and elation at their near miss.

Her voice was husky and a little shaky as she said, "We need to decide what we're going to do when we get there." Ah, that talent of hers for avoidance. "We need a plan."

Confused, he said, "Give them the money."

The look she gave him made him feel like an imbecile. "You can't just walk in there with the money. How are you expecting to get back out? They already kidnapped you once."

"Oh." He hadn't thought of that.

"You'll have to stay out of sight until I make the drop off."

"No! Are you crazy? I'm not letting you go in there alone."

"They don't want me."

"Everyone wants you. But that's beside the point." She sighed at him. "Look, your going isn't any better than mine. They'll just use you as collateral. Or bait." Or worse, he thought, but didn't say. She had to admit his point, so they argued various other options, rejecting choice after choice. Left with only one other plan, they decided it was no worse than any of the others at least. They would try to rescue Galinda, using the location of the money as security should they get caught.

"We'll just have to take the risk," she said finally. "There's no other way." With nothing left to discuss, she started tapping again. Oz, he wished the train would just get them there already, before they killed each other.

Finally they arrived at the closest stop according to Elphaba, the only one of them to have made the current trek toward the cabin conscious. With all the tension in the air between the two, it was no wonder that they were left to themselves. Between their frustrated bickering and repressed sexual energy, he was certain it was almost visible in the air. After another round of cynical comments, Elphaba finally managed to convince him not to wait until it was darker before they tried to break in. Galinda had been left there long enough.

They then argued over whether or not to take a carriage to get closer, until Fiyero just hired one and hopped in. "Look, either get in, or I'm going to go by myself."

Elphaba scowled at him. "That's all I need is for you to get yourself killed."

"You're the one who was saying that time was of the essence."

Her own argument turned against her, she sighed and climbed aboard. A relatively short trip later, they stood hidden in the brush around the cabin, formulating their plan of attack. "So, window or door?"

After a moment of deliberation, she said, "Window." Even with the boards, it was less risky. With a big breath, they bit the bullet and left their cover to sneak up to the house. Lying on the ground to maintain a low profile, Elphaba was trying to work on the boards, which luckily the morons had nailed on from the outside.

Fiyero crouched and set to work trying to pry open the top board, fighting the defeated feeling that came with the cramping of his fingers and the immobility of the board. Elphaba's fingertips were bleeding now from a snag on one of the nails, but it did seem she was making progress.

Just then the door opened, and the kidnappers garbled conversation floated to their precarious position on the ground just out of view. They huddled against the wall, trying to will themselves invisible, and Fiyero's hand found Elphaba's as he cradled her against him. Her doe-eyed look would have been all the ammunition he needed to try to kiss her again if their lives hadn't been in danger.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the voices that carried on the wind. From the snatches of sentences he caught, it was impossible to tell if Galinda was ok, but it did seem she was not being cooperative. Smiling at that, he thought to himself how she was rarely being cooperative. One of the kidnappers left, footsteps moving toward the opposite side of the building, and the two breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

Resuming their work, Fiyero helped Elphaba pry off the lower board, and with it gone, they were able to see into the gloomy basement, just not enough to see Galinda. Using the loosened board to lever off the others proved easier, if louder, work. Luckily, they were still undisturbed. "Be careful of the glass." Fiyero reminded her as Elphaba slipped through the opening, following shortly after.

It felt surreal to look at the damn pillar this way, having always been the one tied to it. Galinda was on the other side, out of view, and after a quick check to make sure no one was there to bear witness, Elphaba rushed over to her. The atmosphere of the situation did little to absorb the perkiness from the blonde's voice as she called, "Elphie!" Elphaba shushed her immediately, reminding her of the captors above. "Oh, Elphie, I knew you'd come rescue me."

Fiyero trailed over, watching Elphaba cut the ropes quickly, and Galinda burst free of the pillar. Clearly she had withstood the trial better than he had expected, but then he could see why. From the dirt on her dress, she had obviously been tied sitting on the floor. Of course, knowing her, the ruined frock was a worse torture than anything else. She caught sight of him, squealing as she ran to throw herself into his arms. "Fiyero!"

He patted her back uncomfortably aware of how Elphaba would misinterpret this. "Oh Yoyo! I was so scared." He blanched at that ridiculous nickname, but he tried to focus on how at least she was safe. Her bottom lip trembled, "It was so horrendifying!"

Tears leaked from her eyes, and he consoled her gently. Poor girl. She had probably been scared to death, but annoying as she could be, she was also too adorable for anyone but a total monster to hurt. She snuggled into him, and he caught sight of Elphaba looking as if she felt very awkwardly out of place. Wishing suddenly his arms were empty, he gave her a helpless look, as if he could communicate that he wanted very much for her to reclaim her rightful position there while knowing she wouldn't.

The scuffling noise above startled them out of their little reunion. Elphaba took charge, "We better get moving." She scuttled through the window gracefully, and he thought what an excellent ninja she would make. She reached for Galinda's hand, and Fiyero gave the shorter girl a boost. However, even after much yanking, shoving and tugging, Galinda managed to stick in the window. "It's the skirt," Fiyero heard Elphaba's muffled voice say. "Fiyero, you're going to have to cut it." This cause much wriggling and opposition from the one stuck, but she was in the unfortunate position of having no real choice. "Look, it's the skirt, or stay here."

"Fine," called a more tear-stricken voice than when she was lamenting her capture.

Elphaba managed to slip the knife through to him carefully so as not to cut Galinda, and he got to work on the puffy fabric. There was something altogether perverse about the entire situation, and he wished very much that Elphaba were the one left on this side to do the actual cutting. That would have been at least good for a couple erotic fantasies.

Finally he managed to free enough tulle to allow her to be yanked through. Following quickly after, he caught Elphaba's hand, using her weight as leverage to pull himself up to the window. Unfortunately, he was a little too enthusiastic to escape this time, and their combined forces yanked him so strongly through the window that he landed on top of her in a heap. She shoved him off, guiltily glancing toward Galinda who was too busy examining her ruined dress to care.

They ran to cover, beginning the hike back to town. Fiyero was grateful nothing worse had happened, though convincing Galinda that they were very lucky wasn't easy with her dress their main casualty. It was quite lopsided now, puffy on the right and flat on the left, not to mention several holes where Fiyero's less than handy tailoring had ripped through.

With their blonde friend in tow, running was out of the question. She limped, one of her heels broken in their escape, and loudly bemoaned their circumstances dramatically. With her between him and Elphaba, he couldn't even entertain himself with the other girl's cynical looks. Sighing, he resigned himself to a long and difficult journey back.


	11. Sleeping Sentries

By the time they arrived in town, they were sweaty, dirty and generally unhappy. With it so late, Fiyero would have loved to get a hotel room, even knowing Elphaba would have to stay with Galinda.

However, he was quickly overruled by Elphaba, who ignored even the whining of Galinda. "I'm not having a repeat of last time we stayed in that damn hotel." So it was at the train station that Fiyero found himself some time later, not certain if he should be happy or sad that it was closed. Elphaba was in a terror of a mood now, having resisted the stress for several days despite the numerous traumas inflicted upon her. Meanwhile, Galinda was no more genial, having still too recently been liberated to be relieved and too long ago to be duly grateful. Caught in the middle, Fiyero did what he did best, remain neutral.

"Well, I'm not going to sit here all night." Galinda whined as they soon realized they were in too remote a location for overnight carriages to line the streets.

"That's all fine and good, but the kidnappers found us at that stupid hotel once before so they can do it again." Fiyero scrutinized his nails, allowing his face to go blank while his mind remembered what position they had been in before being found.

"I'm tired." Galinda griped, reminding them all of their own aches and fatigue. "We all are. We need to get some sleep."

"Well I guess we'll have to camp in the woods."

Fiyero must have gone temporarily insane, because his voice mutinied with, "Why don't we see if there's anywhere else in town?" The sudden attention of both girls together made him feel suspiciously similar to being in the crosshairs of a vicious sniper. "Couldn't hurt, right?"

Galinda started to comment or complain, but Elphaba was looking at him appraisingly, as if she'd suddenly realized he were actually a person instead of a cardboard cutout that could walk. She shushed the other girl, telling him, "We'd draw a lot of attention. Do you think it's worth the risk?"

She was actually asking him, and waiting for his response. He'd never really been asked a question about strategy from her before. Usually she had all the answers, and her questions were just tests. Guardedly, he considered that this might be also despite its seemingly innocuousness. He decided either way it was better than sleeping on the ground. "You girls can stay here. That way we're less memorable. I'll come back and let you know if I find anything."

Elphaba made a face at what she would assume a chauvinistic comment, but she was interrupted before she could speak by Galinda's dramatic, "My hero!" She threw her arms around his neck, leaning up for a kiss, but Fiyero didn't indulge her as his eyes were on Elphaba's crestfallen face. Guiltily, he extracted himself from her embrace with some measly excuse, and he snuck a look only to see Elphaba's cool demeanor back in place.

As it was, it didn't take long to determine the only commercial lodging place was where they had already been discovered (no doubt for that very reason). However, luckily enough, Fiyero's wanderings caught the attention of a pretty enough girl who called out to ask what he was looking for. He flirted in the hopes of securing them at least some shelter, even if it was a barn, and the girl giggled foolishly at his charm. She quickly offered him a room, and though she hesitated at the mention of his two female companions, she was not so cruel as to withdraw her hospitality.

The girl went in to make arrangements for sleeping quarters as Fiyero left to fetch said companions from the train station. The sight that met his eyes almost made him laugh out loud while simultaneously warming his heart. Galinda lay curled up in the spoils of her ruined dress, head propped on Elphaba's lap. Elphaba meanwhile looked as if she had succumbed to the exhaustion mere seconds ago, still in a watchdog position protecting her friend. The entire scene was so absurdly picturesque.

He moved to Elphaba's side, lightly stroking her cheek with a tender smile and barely resisting the urge to kiss her even as she guarded the sleeping body of his girlfriend. Elphaba jolted awake, jerking away from him with such force that Galinda rolled off her lap to nestle in a pile in on the ground. She blinked at him as if making up for not keeping her eyes open before. "Sorry. Find somewhere?"

"A house. They'll let us stay there tonight."

She nodded brusquely. "Ok." He helped her get Galinda off the ground, picking her up to carry her to the house. It was odd to hold the wrong girl in his arms, so much lighter and shorter than the one he'd become accustomed to. Elphaba could have used carrying, too, but she fought to conceal any signs of exhaustion in a vain effort to maintain that illusion of strength that was so important to her. He wished he could tell her that he knew she had some weaknesses. He wished he could tell her he knew how very strong she really was, more than just what she pretended. He wished he could tell her many things, but instead he walked in silence, carrying their precious burden in another silent attempt to protect her.

They arrived at the farm house, and the girl was waiting in the yard. She showed them in silently once she saw Galinda's sleeping form. They put her in bed first, tucking her into the large bed and whispering so as not to wake her. "Thanks again for letting us stay here. You don't know how much this means to us."

The girl smiled crookedly at him as Elphaba echoed their gratitude. The girl introduced herself to his green companion as Penny, and he offered their names in exchange. While she did stare at Elphaba, blinking as if the color were a trick of the night, she didn't comment on it. Penny told them she would call them for breakfast in the morning, and with another wide-eyed grin, vanished to lay awake from the excitement of it all.

He turned to Elphaba. "I'll be right outside if you need me." He moved to go take his post, but she caught his arm.

"We should stick together." One look at her face, and he knew better than to argue. He nodded, bundling his coat into a makeshift pillow. "You could…" she hesitated, clearly wanting to offer him the bed, but not knowing how Galinda would react in the morning.

He smiled reassuringly at her, rubbing a hand over her shoulder. "The floor is fine." She smiled, handing him a pillow and blanket. He settled himself by the foot of the bed, between it and the door, and closed his eyes as she turned off the light.

With a thud, he felt a heavy weight fall on him with an "oof!," a heavy weight with long hair.

Laughing, he helped her untangle herself from him with more touch than was strictly required, but not so much that it couldn't be excused as friendly. "You alright?"

Lying beside him now, she nodded against his shoulder, "Sprained my pride."

He chuckled at her, encouraging her snuggle against his side for a moment more with soft strokes along her arm. They started to fall asleep like that, comfortable with the other's body warmth to keep the chill of the floor away. Half-asleep, Elphaba nuzzled against him, fingers curling around the edges of his shirt, and he felt more content than he had ever felt in his life.

Then she must have realized their posture would have consequences in the morning, and she got up to lie in the bed. He missed her, but the memory was enough to carry him through to sleep. Just as he was nodding off, he felt her fingers reach his, and he opened his eyes enough to see the outline of her curled up at the foot of the bed, hand stretched to reach his. Smiling, he let his fingers brush hers, and with their innocent connection in place, the two drifted off to join their friend in sleep.


	12. Wake Up to Reality

"Fiyero, go!" Elphaba commanded, holding the door shut on the invading kidnappers outside. Fiyero took Galinda, pulling her through the open window and dragging her to safety of the woods. He arrived back just in time to find Elphaba subdued, and that creep slapping her across the face as the others held her down. He produced a knife, slashing open the blouse she wore, and Fiyero felt such a deep rage and terror filling him that he truly wanted to rip them limb from limb. Even in such a horrible position, she was defiantly brave, no tears or fear evident in her face.

He ripped them off her, fists colliding with faces and stomachs in a most satisfying way. When they finally lay unconscious on the floor, he untied Elphaba, pulling her up tenderly. "Elphie…you…you're bleeding." He wiped the blood off her lip sweetly, and she looked up at him with huge eyes.

She looked dazed. "If you hadn't…" Visions of what might have happened had he not gotten there in time made him pull her against him. She burrowed against his neck, and he soothed her as best he could. Her beautiful eyes locked with his, and he leaned down. Their lips were finally going to meet blissfully as he struggled against consciousness, but just as in real life, he was denied that bliss.

Fiyero woke reluctantly, back stiff from the first night in the last few days spent lying down having been on a floor instead of a proper mattress. He stretched, opening his eyes to notice Elphaba was already up. How she managed with such little sleep amazed him. No wonder she kept nodding off at random intervals along the trip. Galinda was still in bed, so he got up as quietly as he could, scratching his side as he stretched.

Naturally, Elphaba chose this moment to reenter, amused by his comic posture, and he grinned goofily in response. "Morning." She nodded and went to work restoring order to the room they had been lent. He straightened himself up as best he could, and then he leaned over to wake Galinda. "Wake up, Lin. It's time for breakfast."

She stirred, and when she saw who he was, she grinned and pulled his arms around her. Fiyero glanced up nervously just in time to catch Elphaba sneaking her own sideways look at the pair. Galinda, unaware of the discomfort of her two friends, snuggled against him, sighing, "Fiyero, I don't want to get up. Come to bed with me instead." Elphaba turned her back, and Fiyero knew he would be paying for Galinda's statement for quite some time.

"No, Galinda. It's time to get up. We need to get moving." She pouted, but did as she was told.

"Can't I at least have a kiss?" Fiyero resisted the urge to blurt out that he couldn't kiss her because was in love with her friend, knowing this was not the time or place. Instead, he quickly kissed her forehead, still feeling a crushing wave of conscience even at that tiny, relatively neutral gesture. Galinda murmured happily, finally getting out of bed. The trio headed into the kitchen, seeing Penny already there.

"There's eggs on the stove if you'd like some, and juice and milk on the table already." They accepted her invitation heartily after having skipped dinner last night, and Fiyero ate with gusto, consuming everything in his path. Galinda of course claimed one of the seats next to him, but Elphaba shied away, sitting as far from him as possible. Penny swooped into the empty seat, and between the two girls flanking him, Fiyero felt uncomfortably like a wounded rabbit caught between two hungry foxes.

Elphaba watched them flirt with him dispassionately, and he supposed she would not be coming to his rescue – his punishment for flirting so much with her. It was probably the first time in his life that he'd hated being attractive to the opposite sex. All he wanted right about now was to be sitting on the opposite side with Elphaba.

As Galinda started to get jealous of Penny's weighted compliments, he realized it would be best if they were just on their way. He used the dirty dishes as an excuse to extract himself from between the two girls. As he rinsed the plate, he looked out the window to see a sight he was all too familiar with. "Elphaba, could you come here?" he said calmly, wanting to have a plan before alerting the more panicky girls of the presence outside.

She rolled her eyes, but did not move to help him. It was quite a change from last night, and in all fairness, it wasn't his fault Galinda was so clingy. Fighting his indignance, he asked her again, "Elphaba, please. I need your help."

"I'm quite sure you can handle rinsing a plate without me." Both of the other girls jumped up, offering their assistance, but he dissuaded them carefully. Damn Elphaba for her temper, this wasn't the time.

"Can you please come help me? Unless you're allergic to the water…" Desperate times called for desperate measures. She scowled at him but came to his side.

"That was uncalled for," she hissed at him, carefully aware of the others' attention.

He used reaching for a dishtowel as a cover for both leaning closer to whisper and as an excuse to drop his arm around her, however momentarily. "I'm sorry, but look out that window. You see?" She sighed wearily. Clearly evident in the sunlight was a twinkling trail of tulle obviously from Galinda's dress leading straight to where they were supposed to be hiding. And of course, because he seemed to have contracted the worse case of bad luck ever, there were two very familiar kidnappers searching for the next step along the path of pieces like some odd Easter egg hunt.

Resignedly, Elphaba started gathering their few things. "Come on, Galinda. We're going." She grabbed the blonde's hand despite the noisy objections about needing to primp. "Do you have a back door?" She saw a suitable escape, "Never mind."

Penny looked distraught. "Going? Already?" Elphaba shot him a look to say: you made this mess, you handle it.

Fiyero smiled charmingly enough he hoped. "I'm afraid we have to leave at once. It would be best if you don't mention to anyone you saw us. Thank you for the room and for breakfast. It was very kind of you."

"It's no trouble." She beamed, kissing his cheek lightly before openly leering at him flirtatiously. "Come back anytime." He smiled politely, and hurriedly he followed the girls to the exit Elphie had located and where she was now shaking Galinda's skirt out in a most undignified manner despite the other girl's wailing protests.

"Oh hush. The last thing we need is for them to follow us all the way back." Seeing Fiyero had rejoined them, they raced to the police station only to find it deserted. Elphaba decided they would simply have to take the train again, and with Galinda pouting about her dress, Elphaba compromised to allow them to go get her a new frock at the first opportunity.

Fiyero finally breathed a sigh of relief as they prepared to pull out of the crazy little town hopefully for the last time.

He went to sit next to Elphaba out of habit, but found the seat full with his girlfriend. Of course. He stood there stupidly for a moment wondering where to sit as Elphaba studied her fingers with a false concentration. Galinda saw his lost look, and she cooed, "Awww, I'm sorry Fiyero. I'll sit with you next time, ok?" He blinked, confused and finally nodded dazedly. Taking the seat across the aisle from Elphaba, he tried to catch her eye, but she studiously avoided him.

He should have expected no less, as obviously with Galinda here, Elphaba would choose to sit with her, or else he would be expected to. He felt left out nonetheless. Last night it had seemed as though that stubborn wall Elphaba had set between them was cracking a little, but now, it was back and stronger than ever. Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes tiredly.

Left with no entertainment, the short trip seemed much longer than it had last time. Luckily, just as he had decided to nap, they were pulling into the little town that had the connecting rail to Shiz. Standing eagerly, he reached for Elphaba's hand, but she snatched it away quickly. Wide-eyed, she hissed at him, "What are you doing?" as if he had tried to shove his tongue down her throat. With an anxious glance at Galinda, she sighed in relief to see her seatmate still staring out the window before sparing another glare in his direction.

Awkwardly, Fiyero withdrew his hand. It had been much more fun before they'd rescued his girlfriend. Having been stuck by himself, he had no idea of the plans for them now. He followed them meekly off the train and down the street to the little boutique that had possessed that gorgeous white dress.

Galinda walked in, immediately weaving through the styles and colors excitedly, dragging a very unenthused Elphaba to held her pick one. Fiyero entered a moment later, noticing the same clerk at the register. Of course she would remember such a distinctive couple as them. She gave him a friendly wave, asking, "Did your girlfriend need something else?" He glanced quickly to see if Galinda had heard, but luckily she was caught up in discussing the finer points of pleats.

"Actually, could you do me a favor? Do you ever ship dresses?" He made arrangements for a few other dresses to be sent to Elphaba anonymously, and the clerk looked at him oddly.

"She doesn't even want to try them on?"

He winked. "It's a surprise." With a knowing smile, the clerk nodded.

Galinda had picked something, and she called to him, whirling around for his opinion. He nodded his approval automatically, and after she made her purchases, they were off again. Walking out the door, the clerk smiled, bidding them farewell. "I hope your girlfriend is enjoying her new dress."

Fiyero winced until he saw Galinda beaming. "Oh, how sweet!" she cried. "What a nice lady. I wondered what you two were talking about so long." He shot Elphaba a furtive glance, but she was still doing her best to ignore him entirely.


	13. Police

Finally the trio made their way to a police station that was actually occupied, and Fiyero gratefully hoped at last this whole ordeal could be over. He held the door for his companions, following them in. Galinda led, bobbling happily toward the desk sergeant. "Excuse me, sir, but we've been kidnapped."

He quirked his eyebrows at her, giving a quick once-over. "You don't appear very kidnapped to me."

"Oh, that's because we're already done being kidnapped, silly," she giggled.

His answer was dry, "Well, that was fun. Let's play again sometime, shall we?" Elphaba smirked in appreciation of his sarcasm, and Fiyero had to fight a tiny stab of jealous.

Fiyero took over before Galinda could confuse herself any more. "We've been kidnapped and escaped, she means. We need to speak to someone and file a complaint or give a statement or whatever you need us to do to arrest these creeps."

The desk sergeant showed them to an interview room, and left them to wait for someone. Elphaba was oddly silent, brooding in her usual way but without her typical sarcasm to entertain him, and Fiyero was too transfixed by her to force conversation. Galinda quickly absorbed the silence in her blabbering about whatever. She was probably the bubbliest and most resilient kidnap victim on the planet, and now that the danger had passed, no hint of the trauma remained. She filled the time for them with meaningless words, and Fiyero focused on his gratitude that she hadn't tried to kiss him again.

Finally, the door opened, and a police officer walked in. Following him was a face that Fiyero had not expected to see – the obnoxious constable from their prison experience. He paled and glanced to Elphaba for a reaction, but her walls were up high. The constable seemed equally surprised, but there was no mistaking the odd pair with her remarkable skin. His beady little eyes wandered first over Elphaba, then over her blonde friend, and a cold smile came to his face when his eyes met Fiyero's.

"Well, if it isn't the mouthy witch and her whiny suitor. What'd you do now? Start another barfight?" He smiled at Fiyero's obvious anger before glancing over to Galinda. "At least you've picked up some better company." He inclined his head toward the pretty girl, winking at her.

The other officer turned to him curiously. "You know these people?"

Another calculating smile. "Oh yes. The green one and the boy at least." He indicated his distaste with them clearly enough through his tone, and he leered again at Galinda. "And you ma'am? How did you get mixed up with this rubble?"

"Oh, Elphie and I are roommates, and Fiyero's my boyfriend," she answered perkily, clearly not picking up on the disgust shared between her friends and this jerk.

The lieutenant eyebrows rose, and he turned to Fiyero. "Interesting. I had assumed from her position on your lap that the green one was your lover." He and Elphaba shared a look at the way Galinda's eyebrows furrowed at this.

"Fiyero, what is he talking about?"

"I'll explain later. Don't listen to him. Still bitter than your superior found out you were keeping us unrightfully?" He directed the latter toward the rude officer.

The false smile dropped at this, and the man narrowed his eyes at him. "That's a lie," he hissed. Fiyero sensed he had hit on a nerve, and it was a struggle not to grin maliciously in victory. "It's not my fault you chose to stay with that stupid witch."

"Don't encourage him," an equally upset Elphaba whispered under her breath to him, and she moved to put a restraining hand on his arm in reminder to maintain his self-control as his face twitched in response to the insult. She took over. "As fascinating as all this is, it is getting late, and we've been waiting for a while. Can we get to the point?"

"Yes, what did you do now?" the lieutenant answered belligerently. "Beat up an old lady this time?"

Fiyero quickly directed his response to the other somewhat stunned officer. "Sir, what do we need to do about our kidnapping?"

Elphaba retorted, "Yes, as fun as it is to be verbally intimidated by your feeble-minded colleague, we would prefer to finally be able to go home in peace." Fiyero resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. So much for not encouraging him.

The lieutenant sneered at her as the other officer shifted uncomfortably. "Kidnapping? Who did you kidnap?"

"For your information we were the ones kidnapped," she snapped, her temper finally worn through.

"Why would anyone want to kidnap you?"

Galinda finally intervened, overcoming her confusion in the voracity of his bitterness. "It's true. We were. All three of us, though not all at the same time," she continued chattering until the sheer volume of words conquered the officers.

The other policeman indicated for them to all sit, opening his pad to record notes. "So what happened?"

Fiyero began, and the girls added to the story as they became involved. The rude lieutenant had leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and glowering at the pair that had procured his resentment. In retrospect, he couldn't quite figure out what reason the other man had to hate them so. It was clear he was looking for any excuse to dismiss their story. Finally, their reached the end, and the reasonable officer asked them questions about the persons responsible. He described them fairly accurately, that scene with Elphaba and gun having been burned so permanently into his memory that he could recall them instantly in great detail.

Finally, the officer stood. "I think that's all I need. We'll see what we can do." He recorded the information Galinda gave him in case they should need to contact them further.

The slime of an officer made a face, frustrated that he had found nothing to punish them for. "So we're supposed to believe this fairy tale?"

Elphaba scowled at him. "It's not a fairytale. It's the truth!"

He deliberately provoked her, getting in her face in an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate her. "You, my dear, are a liar." She thrust her chin forward, but gave him no better response. "And your friends are liars. Do you know the penalties for filing a false police report?"

She answered through gritted teeth, "It's not a false report. It's the truth, whether or not you're too blind and stupid to see it."

Equally aggravated, he checked to see the other officer was occupied, and leaned over her menacingly. He snarled, "Oh, I see clearly enough. You may be able to fool these idiots you're with, but I see who you are." His face was against her neck, his lips brushing against her ear as his hands kept her trapped, he hissed so Fiyero could barely hear, "You're nothing but a lying, freakish whore."

Shaking with suppressed anger, she pushed him back, but he caught her wrist. She snapped, slapping him hard across the face. The others looked up, surprised at the loud cracking sound in the otherwise quiet room. The jerk smiled as her hand hit his face, even as the force made him stagger. "Arrest her. She's going to jail for assaulting an officer." Fiyero and Galinda started to argue, but he cut them off. "And one more word from you, I'll arrest you all for conspiracy."

Fiyero opened his mouth angrily, but Elphaba stepped in quickly. "Fiyero shut up." He just stared at her mutinously, but her face left no chance for compromise. He was prepared to challenge her anyway until she wrapped her arms around him and effectively surprising him into speechlessness. With a tight hug, she whispered in his ear, "Please, Fiyero. Just go."

He couldn't believe she was in his arms, voluntarily, and in the midst of all this, he felt so disoriented. "I won't leave you," he threatened. "You know I won't."

"You have to. I won't let you stay this time. You have to take care of Galinda." He pulled back rebelliously at that. He didn't want to take care of Galinda. Galinda wasn't about to be put in jail, and even if he had to choose between the two, there really was no choice which he would pick. She refused to let him escape. "Fiyero, don't argue this time. I need you to do this."

He hated this, and she knew it. His jaw set, he brought her reluctant eyes to meet his. "Fine, but I'm coming back for you."

She nodded, resting her forehead against his for a moment. "I trust you." She had him at that, and she knew it. He would have done anything to hear her say that, but why did it have to be this? Why did it have to be abandoning her? He wanted to punch something, particularly the smug lieutenant's head, but her words held him in chains.

"Aw, how cute. That's enough of that," the contemptible sleaze interrupted, pulling Elphaba out of his arms and handcuffing her arms behind his back. She held his eyes, shaking her head for him to do nothing to interfere. He started forward anyway when they jerked her by the arm, and one of the officers grabbed his arms to restrain him. Galinda flung herself at her friend with a teary goodbye hug, and Elphaba rested her chin on the blonde head.

"It'll be okay. Fiyero will take care of you. Don't worry."

Galinda looked up, surprised. "You're the one I'm worried about, silly. I don't want you to be inprismed." Elphaba smiled at Galinda's distinctive charm. She kissed her friend's forehead as she was unable to hug the girl, and whispered further reassurances.

The lieutenant was getting impatient, no doubt planning something horrid for Elphaba to endure and eager to get started. "Okay, let's go." He wrenched Elphaba away so forcefully, Galinda lost her balance, tumbling to the ground. They released Fiyero to help her up as Elphaba was finally whisked out of the room.

Luckily Galinda was too upset to notice how abnormal their goodbye had been, and she remained too distracted by her friend's imprisonment to worry about the constable's leading comments. Somehow Fiyero found himself wishing they would get caught, but that wouldn't help him get Elphie back. He sighed. It was going to be a long night.


	14. Stolen

"Come on." Fiyero said bitterly, annoyed that he had to babysit instead of rescuing the girl of his dreams. "Sooner I get you somewhere safe, the sooner I can come back for Elphaba."

Galinda sniffled. "I'm not leaving."

"Galinda, I don't have time to argue," Fiyero said sternly. "The more time that creep has with Elphaba, the more horrible things he can do to her." He tried not to imagine what certainly would transpire in the time it took him to get Galinda out of harm's way.

"Elphie's my friend. I'm not going to leave her here."

He ran a hand through his hand, "Look, I promised her I would get you to safety. Please?"

She nodded, letting him guide her with his hand on her back as he opened the door. "Three minutes," she whispered, and he was confused for a second until she sprinted out of his reach and down the hall. He chased her, and as they turned the corner, he almost grabbed her until he saw Elphaba and the lieutenant just feet away. He froze, forgetting all about Galinda.

Elphaba's chin was raised, defiantly, which was a bad sign. The officer was draped over her, his hands groping her as she tried ineffectively to pull away. She bit him as he forced a kiss on her, and he slapped her hard. She glared at him, spitting in his face, and the man was about to retaliate when Galinda bounded up, taking them both by surprise. The lieutenant released her immediately, taking a guilty step back.

Elphaba caught the sight of Fiyero jogging after the blonde, but at Galinda's sign, he ducked out of sight before the lieutenant saw him. The man leered at the pretty blonde, suspicion weighed against lust. "Can I help you?"

She batted her eyes prettily, "Well, I hope so."

He looked down at the hand resting lightly on his arm, "Is this about that kidnapping pitch your friends had?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to know where the restroom was. I need to go freshen up a bit." She tossed her blonde hair, and it was as if it hypnotized the man. "I tried to find it myself, but I just got so lost." Her lower lip pouted just enough to match her puppy-dog eyes that were world-renowned for their persuasive abilities.

"It's through those doors. Take a right, and around the corner…"

She blushed, "Oh, I'm so bad with directions. Do you think maybe you could show me? You'd be my hero." She brushed against him in a manner that while very seductive, could easily be dismissed as innocent.

Lustfully the man agreed, brutishly pushing Elphaba into a room nearby and locking it. '_One now, and one for later,'_ so obviously imprinted on his greedy face that Fiyero almost left his hiding place to punch him. The officer gave Galinda his arm, and she giggled as she squeezed his muscle opening the door, "Ooh, you're so strong." They disappeared through the door and out of sight.

He snuck over to the door, grateful for his less than virtuous past as he picked the lock with skill. He rushed in, getting Elphaba's attention to follow him, and then quickly checked the hallway for witnesses. They raced through the hallway and around the corner, and Fiyero remembered they only had three minutes until Galinda would release the lieutenant and make her own escape. They raced through another corridor, only to see a pair of policeman turn their direction, too locked in conversation to see them.

Ducking out of sight, Fiyero took his opportunity to work on Elphaba's handcuffs, but he didn't have the right tools to open them. "Sorry."

"Well you should be," she hissed, and he was taken aback. "I can't believe you let Galinda do that. Especially after you promised me…"

"Hey, wait a minute," he interrupted. "I didn't let Galinda do anything. She ran away from me before I could stop her, or did you not see me chasing her?"

"You could have stopped her." She had hardened, unwilling to make any concessions that he might be right. "You should have. Now she's alone with that monster."

"At least her hands aren't bound," he returned. He softened unintentionally at the memory of that jerk touching her. "Oh, Elphie, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go at all."

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who told you to. I just can't believe you."

"So I'm just supposed to what? Go drag Galinda away by her hair and watch you get hurt?"

"I had everything under control."

"Right. That's why his hands were all over you." She glared in response, but didn't answer. The hallway was clear again, and there was no time to bicker anymore as they fled the building. Once outside, he pulled her around the corner and an appropriately sized pick, working on her handcuffs. "Look, I'm sorry. I really did try to stop Galinda, but you know how impossible it is once she's decided what she's going to do. She has that in common with someone else here."

Elphaba smiled slightly, turning to face him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just don't want Galinda to get hurt."

"Well, we don't want you to get hurt either." He squeezed her hand lightly, returning to his work. "There!" the lock on one side popped open, letting her move her hands from behind her back. The other side dangled from her wrist, and he took her hand to unlatch it.

She twisted her free wrist idly, "I wasn't going to get hurt."

"Right. And he was just trying to give you a handshake and missed."

"It's fine. Better me than Galinda."

"Better neither of you!" She fell into silence, staring at his hand. He sighed, resuming his work on her conspicuous bracelet. Prying at the difficult gears inside, he couldn't stop the images that popped up in his head of that bastard forcing himself all over Elphaba. Under his breath, he said fiercely, "I should kill him." He might if he ever saw the man again.

Her free hand brushed his cheek, and he looked up surprised. "Fiyero, no. Let it go."

Stubbornly, he held onto his resentment. "He touched you."

"He's not worth it." She shook her head, and it was odd to have her on this side of the argument. Usually he was the one talking her out of doing something rash.

His eyes fell to her hand still resting in his, and he caressed her fingers lightly. "You are." Anxiously, he lifted his eyes to hers, but she was looking at his lips. Her free hand was still on his cheek, and he felt time stand still as she leaned in just a little. Then he leaned forward as well, and she bridged the rest of the distance as a perky voice called out.

"Elphie? Fiyero? Where are you?" They leapt apart, eyes wide and breathing heavy. He cursed Galinda over and over in his head for not waiting at least one more second. Their eyes met, and he almost moved back to her anyway. Only the knowledge that she would refuse kept him from claiming the kiss that had been stolen from him. "Oh, there you are!" The blonde joined them, unaware of the tension between her friends.

Fiyero broke the stare, looking at the ground as he recognized the fear in her eyes – fear he'd put there. How could she not be afraid of that groping, miserable excuse for a human being, but be terrified by him? Elphaba spoke to the blonde, "You shouldn't have done that. That was very stupid Galinda." The girls embraced. "Very brave, but very stupid."

"You're welcome Elphie," Galinda replied brightly, unaffected by the other girl's obvious worry. "Oh, did Fiyero get your handcuffs undone?" He looked up, and Elphie nodded, blushing at the look he gave her. "Well, Fiyero, aren't you going to take the other one off?"

"Sure," his gruff voice making Elphaba blush a shade deeper. He moved forward, and she took a step back, glancing sideways at Galinda.

"It's okay, Elphie," she said obliviously. "It's not going to hurt, right Fiyero?" Elphaba was so clearly nervous that it almost made sense.

He swallowed and nodded slowly with his eyes still intense on her. "I promise." She looked up at this, knowing he meant so much more by it, and as she met his eyes with her wide ones, she flushed so deeply he wondered if her face would burn his skin. It would be worth it. Avoiding his eyes again, she let him take her hand, and awkwardly aware of Galinda's gaze on them, he tried to focus on the handcuffs.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he brushed against the skin of her wrist, and he swallowed hard. Focus. He couldn't get enough air, and by the looks of it, she was having similar difficulties. Somehow he managed to unlatch the cool metal from her slender wrist, and as he took it off, he traced its path lightly with his fingertips. She shivered in response to his touch, and he barely restrained himself from following his fingertips with his lips.

"See," Galinda's bubbly voice startling Elphie's eyes open, "it didn't hurt at all." Guilt flooded her face as Elphaba nodded mutely though Galinda didn't notice it. "So what now?" she asked innocently. His thoughts exactly.


	15. Beautiful Torture

Fiyero stood locked in Elphaba's eyes, still wide and afraid, and neither answered Galinda for long enough that he was shocked she couldn't see it. Finally, she pulled free first, eyes darting around for an escape. "We have to get out of here."

"It's getting late." He stated, desperately wanting to get rid of Galinda so they could talk. "Maybe we should get a…"

Elphaba interrupted, "We have to go now." The intensity in her voice made the other two stare at her, and even Galinda could see the clear distress now. Then with a shake of her head, the frantic fear was hidden again, and with a forced calm logic that she so excelled at, Elphaba said, "Before they realize I'm gone. I don't want us all to end up in there."

"Of course." She was right. She was always right. He was just so damn tired of being cautious. Part of him wanted to run back in and take out some of his frustration on the jerk who was responsible for this anyway. Part of him wanted to grab her and run away, leaving Galinda to figure it out later. Part of him just wanted to pull her to him and kiss her until he couldn't breathe, Galinda present or not. Unfortunately he had no allowance for self-indulgence at the moment. He led the way back toward the train station.

Galinda linked arms with Elphaba, "Elphie, dearest, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." The second was useless as Galinda couldn't worry to save her life. She was far too happy all the time for worrying. He didn't understand it, and while he was a little jealous sometimes of her optimism, it was really starting to grate on his nerves. Although, that was probably just a product of her interruptions to his own happiness in the last few days.

They made it to the train station, but the next one headed toward Shiz wasn't for several hours. Galinda clapped her hands, "Oh good! I have time to go get those shoes I saw."

He barely heard her, so fixated on the fact that she would be leaving him with Elphaba alone. Fighting the urge to hurry her, he bit his lips, staring at the beautiful girl hiding behind her. Elphaba blushed, obviously realizing the same thing he had, and she turned to Galinda, "I'll go with you."

Galinda beamed, but Fiyero interrupted, frowning. "You can't leave." The girls turned to look at him, and he tried to come up with an excuse.

Oddly enough, it was Galinda who saved him, "Oh, Elphie, he's right. What if that officer is looking for you? You'd better stay with Fiyero." Never in all the time he'd spent dating Galinda had he loved her more than at this moment. Elphaba started to argue, but Galinda shushed her. "No, you're staying, and that's final. I'll get some shoes for you, too." With that she breezed out, unaware of the tension that filled the air at her exit.

For a moment, they stared at each other again, trying to find the words. She captured him with those beautiful brown eyes, and he was losing the ability to breathe again. Then she swallowed hard, turning away with arms crossed to stare out the window. "Looks like rain."

Her casual tone fooled no one, and he moved beside her. At his hand on her arm, she stiffened like a startled deer. His voice was gentle, but firm, "Elphaba, we need to talk."

"About what?"

He almost laughed at her feeble attempt at avoidance. "I think you know." She worried her lower lip, still staring out the window, but didn't answer. "What happened back there?"

"What do you mean?"

Losing patience, he turned her to face him. "Elphaba, please stop pretending." Guilt as clear as daylight slid across her face, and he was starting to think it was becoming her permanent expression. Guilt and fear. Sighing, he let go of her arms, turning and tilting his head back to compose himself. Why did everything he did have to hurt her?

"Oh, that," she said softly, biting her lip again. "I don't know." She turned to watch the sky outside again. After a long moment, so softly he barely heard it, she whispered, "A mistake."

He placed his hands on her shoulders, noticing how her captivating eyes closed at the touch. "Is that what you really think?" She was breathing shallowly now, her shoulders rising and falling under his hands. He slid his hands down her arms, and the mere feeling of holding her was making him crazy. He didn't care why they shouldn't anymore. He didn't care if they got caught. He didn't care that she might kill him later for it. He laced their fingers together, "I didn't think it was."

"Fiyero…" she had meant it as a warning, but the breathlessness behind it robbed the strength, making it sound more like an invitation. He let his head fall forward to rest on her shoulder, wrapping her in his arms without releasing her hands. She relaxed into him a little, and he rubbed his cheek lightly over hers. Her head leaned back to rest against his shoulder, and his lips skimmed over her temple and into her silky hair. "We can't."

He sighed, and she echoed it as his breath stirred the hair by her neck. Holding both her hands with one of his now, he let his fingers wander up her arm slowly to caress the soft skin of her neck. His lips against her ear, "But I really want to." She melted into him, her body molding into his. From her reaction he could assume she felt the same.

His lips wandered lightly against her neck, her shoulder, as his fingertips traced her arm, her side, her waist. Oh, he wanted her. Her hand moved to tangle in his hair, pulling his head closer to her as the other remained linked with his. He hadn't even kissed her, and he felt like he would explode with wanting to. "Elphaba," he breathed before his brain failed in completing the thought.

She turned in his arms, and as he met her eyes, he lost his breath again. His arm around her waist crushed her to him as she slid her arms around his neck. He leaned down for a kiss at the same time she leaned her face into his chest so that his lips fell against her hair. He let himself be satisfied holding her and kissing her hair for a few long moments, twining the beautiful strands between his fingers. Finally her hand slid down his chest, landing above his heart to feel the pounding there. He covered it with his own hand, rubbing her fingers softly.

Blinking, she looked up at him with those wide eyes again that owned his soul. "We can't," her voice so mournful that the only thing he could think of was making it better. He nodded, leaning down and letting his lips brush hers lightly. She leaned into him, "I can't." Her lips brushed his equally lightly. So close now that the words brushed their lips against one another, she breathed, "Oh, we shouldn't." His fingers curled at the delicious feel of her lips even as they brushed like butterfly wings against him.

Their not-kissing was just a technicality now as her lips teased his mercilessly. It was a miracle that he hadn't pulled her to him and kissed her brains out for this fantastic torture. She shivered as his fingers found the sensitive skin around her ear, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Oh, God, she was going to kill him. "Please," she begged softly, and he didn't know if she wanted him to stop or do more.

Unable to resist anymore, he let his lips connect with hers in a slow, sensual kiss that sent lightning bolts of arousal through him as they finally surrendered. She moaned into the kiss, and he pressed her to him, deepening it. Her fingers curled into his hair, urging for more. The kiss melted into another, their lips now frantically sliding over each other in a dizzy whirlwind of desire and fulfillment. Dear Oz, she could kiss!

Suddenly, she pushed him off, panting and shaking. "Oh my God." She covered her mouth as if testing to see if really had been her lips that had kissed him. Her eyes wide with fear were still smoking with desire, "Oh my God, wow." She took a step back toward him before she shook her head. "What are we doing?"

"Elphaba…" he reached for her hand, wanting to calm her, but it had the opposite effect. She pulled back, frantic now.

"What did we just…" She covered her mouth again, as if willing it not to be true. "Oh my God, Galinda." He turned quickly, afraid he'd see the blonde staring at them in tears, but the hall was empty. He turned back but Elphaba was backing away. "What was I…I have to go!" She turned, fleeing from him as he stood in shock.

"Elphaba! Wait!" She didn't slow or turn around. Without a second thought, he chased her into the night falling outside.


	16. A Little Convincing

"Elphaba! Wait!" She ran, and though Fiyero was no couch potato, he could barely keep up with her frantic pace. Pumping his arms, he gained ground inch by painful inch closer as she sprinted farther and farther into the twilight. He probably never would have caught her if she hadn't made a mistake, taking a turn which unexpectedly became a dead end. Trapped, she panted, looking much like a caged animal.

He closed the distance, grasping his side. "Oz, Elphaba. Are you trying to kill me? Where did you learn to run so fast?"

She didn't even spare a smile, and he knew he was in trouble now. The rain had started to fall, and she winced as the drops fell against her skin. It was a tough decision as to which frightened her more, him or the rain.

He took two steps forward, and she backed away until she hit the wall behind her. Slowly, he advanced, hands held up to show his good intentions, but still she eyed him warily. It was incredibly disturbing to him to see his tower of strength scared like this. Elphaba was never afraid. It was an oxymoron: a deafening silence, a cold fire, a desert rain.

Soft now, he whispered, "Elphie. It's ok." He wanted to hold her, give her proof of his trustworthiness, but he didn't want her to run again. Another step forward, and now she had nowhere to escape to. She watched, frozen in place, as he took another. Step by measured step, he moved toward her, whispering calming phrases as he would to a frightened, wild animal, easing it into acceptance.

He was within arm's reach, but he held back. "Elphie, please." She refused to meet his eyes, her gaze darting everywhere else. Cautiously, he held out a hand to her, careful to be slow and neutral. "You can trust me." Frozen still, he waited. The next step was up to her.

The rain slid over her, and she shivered in the night chill as it drenched them both. Time stood still, measured only in the pattering of the rain.

Finally, she reached out, taking his hand, and he pulled her to him. She huddled against him, face buried in his chest again as he soothed her. The sun had set so quickly, and the only illumination came from the bright moon glinting off the water to twinkle on every surface. He felt such magic in the air, a sense of romance even in the dirty little alley they had found their way to. Perhaps it had nothing at all to do with the starlight that seemed to surround them, or the way the rain slid over her skin, or how the moisture in the air seemed to vibrate with her breath. She looked up at him, and her rain-kissed eyelashes fluttered as she met his eyes. She must be a wonderful sorceress, because he was completely under her spell.

He started to kiss her again before he could stop himself, and she struggled to pull away. With a heavy sigh, he redirected his lips to her forehead, drinking the rain that escaped the wet tendrils of hair that had wandered onto her face. As overly romantic as he was feeling at the moment, he couldn't help the image that conjured in his mind of Elphaba with her soft hair drenched by the spray of the shower. He adored her hair, and the image of her undressed undoubtedly aided his appreciation for that particular daydream. They should kiss in the rain more often.

Then he noticed she was burrowing into his neck to hide herself from the rain. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly, and at his protective stance, she relaxed a little. He nuzzled her cheek, "Do you want to get out of the rain?" She nodded, then shook her head, as if she had just decided to stay. In answer to his curious look, she subconsciously snuggled closer, and he got the message. Rubbing her back softly, he kissed her forehead again. "You know, you don't need the rain. You can have me anytime you want."

Elphaba took his hand, tracing it softly with her fingers as she avoided his eyes. He sighed lightly, and she moved closer, tempting herself as much as him. She kissed his hand softly, and though he wasn't typically aroused by his hands, he was when her lips found them. He cleared his throat. "While I do in fact need a cold shower now, I don't think we should let you get soaked because of it." She looked up at him so innocently, and instead of escorting her to somewhere drier, he found himself kissing her again.

She pushed back, eyes wide at his initiation, and he surrendered, "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't."

"We can't," she whispered, as if daring him to disagree, longing to be wrong.

He smiled softly at her, suddenly realizing just how little she thought of her own wants. He kissed her forehead, temple, cheek, the side of her lips, traveling everywhere she would let him, softly whispering back, "We can."

"Galinda?"

"We'll tell her later."

She hung her head, "She'll be so hurt."

"I've already broken up with her. She just needs to accept it. I don't want her; I want you."

Her eyes closed at that, her resistance draining by the second. His lips found the nape of her neck, sucking and nipping gently at the soft skin as he tried to seduce her into accepting his affection. She clearly wanted to, and he very much wanted to kiss her again. "You deserve to be happy, too." She shivered, disbelief threatening to undo his carefully woven persuasion, so he added pleadingly, "Please. I need you."

He let her decide, seeing that he had almost won her over and knowing any further push from him would just send her retreating back to where they started. His lips continued on their course over her neck and face, ears and hair, reveling in the way she tasted, and he fought with every inch of his willpower to be satisfied with that for now. Finally she sighed, unable to resist anymore. "Fine, just for this moment. But once we're back at Shiz…"

He nodded, accepting her conditions if only for the time being. He didn't tell her that he had no intentions of ever letting her go, Shiz or not, and for a moment he contemplated not returning to Shiz at all. After all, he'd much rather continue to kiss her than go back to fighting off Galinda and her bubbly bimbo friends. But Elphaba would be miserable without classes and studying. Instead, he would simply have to become so addictive somehow that she wouldn't pull away.

Fiyero sighed, knowing how unfortunately stubborn she was and how unlikely his task would be. Suddenly he realized she'd been waiting for him to kiss her. Leaning down, he teased her lips lightly first, taunting himself with the deliciously soft feeling of them before he couldn't fight it anymore, pulling her tightly against him as he pressed his lips against hers. That dizzy whirlwind of desire almost took his breath away again, and he had to lean them against the wall to feel her more firmly against him. He wanted all of her, and he wanted her now.

The sound of the train whistle took them by surprise, and Elphaba pushed him back, shocked. They shared a terrified look before sprinting back to the train station, splashing through puddles heedlessly as they soaked themselves even more. They made it just in time to see their train pulling away. Maybe he'd get his wish after all, as making it home to Shiz was becoming less and less likely.


	17. Hurricane

Fiyero stared at the disappearing train in disbelief. He felt like a real ass now, which was only worsened when Elphaba asked, "What about Galinda?"

He shrugged. They had no idea if Galinda had gotten on the train or not, or where she might be now, or how they were ever going to find out. Sighing, he flopped onto a bench. "I guess we wait for her a while to see if she shows up, unless you want to try the shop."

She sighed heavily, plopping down beside him. He restrained himself from pulling her to him again, remembering the damage he'd already done. Honestly, part of him was hoping Galinda made it on the train and back to Shiz, though admittedly his reasons were selfish.

Elphaba's teeth started chattering, and he looked over to see her shivering as the water dripped from her still soggy hair. He pulled her to her feet, rubbing her arms. "Come on, let's get you out of these wet clothes." Her eyes widened fearfully, so he added guiltily, "And into some dry ones."

"Galinda…" she started, but he cut her off.

You'll be in no shape to find Galinda if you catch your death from pneumonia first." She gave him a hesitant look, but at his expression, she sighed in resignation. He took her hands, catching her eyes. "I promise I'll go look for her while you get changed, ok?"

"What am I suppose to change into?"

He bit his lip. Ok, he hadn't thought of that. "I'll pick up some clothes for you."

She followed him to the hotel, and he kept hoping she would snap out of this hesitant, self-conscious reaction of hers. Fiyero was much more in love with the fiery girl that punched him and taunted him wittily rather than the terrified one who kept looking at him as if he might eat her.

Once there, he got them a room, sending her to shower and change in the hotel's room. He ducked out, looking for Galinda. His ex-girlfriend was fast becoming the most frustrating complication he'd ever met. Here he could be warm and dry helping Elphaba take her clothes off, and instead he was scouring the city in the rain for a bubbly, no doubt carefree blonde.

He was about to give up with the assumption that she'd caught the train when he glimpsed her grinning at some local boy who'd just given her an umbrella. Lost in the spirited conversation, she didn't even notice his approach until he touched her arm. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you two. Where's Elphie?" Galinda said in her perkiest manner.

"In the hotel, changing into some drier clothes." Galinda's companion bid farewell to them both, fading into the crowd as Fiyero took her bags and began their trek back through the rain to the hotel.

"Where were you guys? You weren't on the train when I got there, and I couldn't find you anywhere."

"We missed it." He said simply, not really feeling up to manufacturing a plausible cover story.

She bubbled on, moving the conversation without his help, and he struggled to keep a believable façade of interest. "Well, it looks like you got your wish."

That got his attention, and his head snapped up to catch her eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked oddly enough that she blinked at him.

"We're staying in the hotel here tonight, just like you wanted to do. Before Elphie made us take the train." He relaxed visibly, and she looked at him curiously. "Fiyero, are you alright?"

He sighed heavily. He would be alright when Elphaba stopped being terrified of him, or when he could openly admit his affection for her, or even better, when he could hold her beautiful body in his arms while he whispered exactly what she meant to him without her arguing. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied sadly. Galinda gave him a believing look, so he added, "At least I will be when I can change into some dry clothes."

Satisfied, she bubbled away again about whatever. Finally, they reached the hotel, and Fiyero climbed the stairs two at a time, leaving Galinda to straggle behind him. She huffed up the stairs as fast as her much shorter legs would let her, but Fiyero had already produced his key and opened the door as she came to the landing.

The sight in font of him made all thought of Galinda fade completely, and he dropped her bags unnoticed to the floor. Elphaba was standing there, comb in hand, wearing nothing but a large towel wrapped around her. She started at the sight of him, gawking opening at her, and from the red color climbing up her cheeks, he thought she was going to kill him. Instead, she crossed her arms in front of herself nervously and bit her lip. He caught his breath at her expectant look, wondering if she had been planning on him arriving alone. If so, he'd just found a new reason to curse Galinda's presence.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. "I…I forgot your clothes," the last word sticking in his throat. He tried to stop staring but failed miserably. "I'll be right back." He jerked himself away from the tempting sight, only to collide with Galinda trying to get past him.

"Where are you going?" she asked as he turned up his collar to head back into the rain.

"Dry clothes," was his terse reply. She cocked her head to the side, confused, so he added, "For Elphie," though he'd probably have to get some for himself as well after his third trip in the rain. This, quite frankly, sucked.

"Oh! I love buying clothes! Can I come?" Galinda's cheery attitude was making it very difficult for Fiyero not to snap. He'd already used almost all his self-control not to pounce on Elphaba back there, and the rest of it was really needed to go back into the storm outside. Then Galinda redeemed herself for everything she'd ever done wrong in her life. "Or I can go for you so you can dry off."

"Um…" The gentleman in him hesitated, not wanting to send her out alone and very much feeling like the unpleasant job should fall to him. Unfortunately, that was very much at war with every other ounce of him. He compromised to, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Absolutely!" The utter sincerity and happiness imbued in those four syllables convinced him. If she really wanted to go, who was he to stop her?

"Galinda, you are such a doll. Thank you so much." Did he feel bad? Yeah. Was that going to stop him from alone time with Elphaba in a towel? Not a chance.

"No, thank you! I get to shop for Elphie!" She bounced off with umbrella in hand, giddy with her task, and he just shook his head after her.

He turned back to the room, gulping a quick breath before he opened the door to the beautiful temptation waiting there for him. She looked up, her wide eyes blinking at him in confusion. "Galinda went instead."

"You let Galinda pick my clothes? Great." Her sarcasm made him smile despite her obvious awkwardness. She shook her head slowly. "What did I ever do to you?"

His chuckle died in his throat when she shifted to reach the back of her hair with the comb, making him swallow as the towel slipped just a fraction of an inch lower. She shot him a look. He was staring. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm just gonna go…dry…off." His words slowed as the mesmerizing towel taunted him with another minute descent. If he didn't leave now, he was going to rip that damn towel off for teasing him so.

Slipping into the bathroom, he pulled his dripping shirt over his head, hanging it above the tub to dry. Toweling his hair, he opted to leave the pants, but the shoes and socks were discarded readily. Not ideal, but much better. He almost felt human again as he padded back into the room.

Elphaba froze mid-stroke, comb oddly suspended mid-air, as she caught his eyes. He pulled them away only to be met with the sight of her leg dangling over the side of the bed, her thigh peeking from the fold of the towel. Breathless he followed the path up her body to the top edge of the towel, past her bare shoulders and gorgeous neck to hold her eyes again.

He moved to her with their eyes still locked, his heartbeat racing. She tilted her head to look up at him from her seated position on the bed, and he smirked to see her arm still frozen in the air, comb in hand. He took it from her, circling to sit behind her, and as if the tension weren't killing him, he calmly started combing the back of her hair where she couldn't reach. The wet strands glided over his fingers, surrounding him with the smell of rain and her.

"There," he whispered as his arm wrapped around her to return the comb, and he ran his other hand through her hair lightly. "All done." He brushed the newly detangled hair out of the way, leaning down to kiss her neck as she sucked in a breath. His lips felt her pulse, threading rapidly through that gorgeous neck of hers, and he traced the path up to her ear. She shivered as his breath stirred the fine hairs there to tickle her.

"Galinda…" she started, and he contemplated banning that word from her vocabulary. Honestly, she said her friend's name far too frequently, particularly when he wanted to hear his own on her lips.

"Sh," he hushed her, nuzzling the soft skin lightly. "She's shopping. She's happy. She'll be gone for a while." He trailed his fingertips up her bare arm and back down, and she leaned against him with a sigh.

"Fiyero," she breathed, and he smiled widely. That was much better.

"Yes?" his teeth giving her earlobe a gentle tug.

"Oh, Fiyero…" she moaned softly, her hands flying up to whatever part of him they could reach. She finally settled on his wrist and his scalp.

He set his hands on her waist, feeling the firm body beneath the cotton towel, and confessed, "I want you, Elphaba." She shivered again, prompting him to deepen his kisses on her neck and dig his fingers into the towel that kept her from him. "Oz, you're driving me crazy."

"Fiyero," she sighed, and he was starting to think she could only speak in proper nouns. He nuzzled the other side of her neck, and she turned in his arms, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Kiss me."

He complied with her command immediately, pressing her against him with one hand splayed across her back. The other moved to brush the damp hair away from her face as his lips tenderly joined hers again and again. She leaned into him, deliciously deepening the kisses until they were so intense that Fiyero felt himself growing light-headed. Her breathtaking body was tight against him now, and he shuddered as she threaded her hands through his hair, arching into his. He groaned, his hands sliding down to her hips, though he did stop himself from traveling anywhere else – just barely.

Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, her towel finally surrendered to their passionate movements, the tuck between her breasts sliding undone. Luckily, since their bodies were pressed tightly together, it had nowhere to go, but the knowledge that if she pulled away from him, she would be fully naked shot arousal through him like hot lava injected in his spine, heating him to the core.

However, it inspired the opposite reaction in her as she realized what a dangerous game they were playing. She gathered her towel as she pulled away, and he respectfully averted his eyes until she had re-clothed herself as best she could. Guilt had reclaimed her eyes, and he was awed by the ferocity of her emotions. Her passion, her anger, even her guilt was always such a formidable force, swirling with such intensity he could only liken them to a hurricane once you could see through shields she hid them in.

He lay back on the bed to calm her with a non-threatening pose, and she dropped into the chair across the room, eyeing him nervous. Arms crossed around her tightly, he had to fight a sigh. "Elphie," he sighed. "Please come over here."

She blinked at him, worrying her lower lip.

"Please?" he coaxed her to the bed, and eventually she surrendered, perching lightly on the edge. He wanted to talk about what had happened, but she clearly didn't, so he settled for kissing her hand. He traced light patterns over her fingers, avoiding her eyes to give her the space she needed. "You can trust me, Elphaba. I promise." He chanced a glance up to see her studiously avoiding his eyes. "I will never do anything that you don't want to do."

"That's the problem," her voice so soft in might have been a ghost. "I want to."

A pang of desire rang through him at her words, but he forced himself to be calm. "We can do whatever you want. I'm yours." He marveled at exactly how true those words were.

She sighed softly. "Only until we get back home," she reminded him, but her words held just a hint of uncertainty. His lips quirked to the side, but the tapping at the door signaled the end to their fun. Stealing one final kiss, he moved to open the door for their unwitting chaperone.

"Miss me?" Galinda chirped as she bustled in, and Fiyero helped her carry in the bags

"You have no idea," was his smooth reply as he shot Elphaba a wink over the petite blonde head, and his heart lifted when Elphaba chuckled. There was hope.


	18. Bothers

Fiyero didn't hear a word of the perky prattle that Galinda spoke next, too busy trying to keep himself calm as Elphaba crossed her arms self-consciously. Her refusal to meet his eyes was a constant reminder to how intense their interaction had been, and he couldn't get the feel of her amazing body out of his mind for a second. Elphaba, for her part, was paying _too_ much attention, and Fiyero wondered if he should caution her that it aroused rather than allayed suspicions when she was overly attentive like that. Luckily, Galinda was too oblivious to notice that Elphaba was clearly hiding something.

The blonde smiled, pushed her friend toward the bathroom with the shopping bag, and turned to him. "Oh, Fiyero dearest, I didn't get you anything. I hope you don't mind."

He shrugged. "That's fine. My shirt should dry overnight."

She giggled, "All the better for me and Elphie, right?" He gave her an odd look, and her giggles nearly consumed her. "Oh, Fiyero, don't pretend that you aren't aware what a perfectly scrumptious sight you are." He was more than a little uncomfortable with her flirting, so he merely smiled vaguely.

Elphaba chose that moment to reemerge, cheeks glowing, and his jaw dropped at the atrocity of a dress Elphaba was wearing. At Galinda's enthusiastic praise, Elphaba met his eyes to exchange a dark look, only to remember why she wasn't meeting his eyes. He couldn't help a wide smile when she blushed even more deeply and sighed.

"Am I really supposed to wear this in public?" she asked Galinda fearfully.

"Of course, silly. You look gorgeified! It's very fashionable, and it really brings out your best features." Fiyero smirked at that. The only features he saw that the dress brought out were hardly the places where Elphaba would want attention. Let's just say the cut of the dress did not exactly draw one's eyes to her face. Elphaba's face must have conveyed something of the like to Galinda because the blonde turned to him for support. "Fiyero, tell her how beautific the dress looks."

With both girls staring at him intently, he couldn't resist his mischievous side. "Absolutely. The ruffles are quite an interesting touch. They really bring out her (cough) …eyes." Elphaba shot him daggers with said eyes so he resorted to ogling her exposed legs instead. In truth, she still looked better than Galinda's first experiment with the enormous pink flower, and he supposed he couldn't blame Galinda if she could never find a dress so perfectly suited for Elphaba as that white one had been.

He paid for his comments as Elphaba fumed and refused to speak to him for most of the rest of the evening, even after he snuck in an apology when Galinda wasn't listening. He suspected part of her dismissal was due to the guilt hovering in her eyes whenever she caught sight of him. However, it was Galinda who finally booted him out so she could get her beauty sleep, and as he retreated to the room he'd reserved, he heard Galinda order Elphaba to change. "Into what?" her confused reply.

"The nightgown in the bag, silly." He couldn't see from his position outside their door, but the shocked gasp he heard gave him a pretty good indication of the type of gown it was.

There was more muffled protests and rebuttals that Fiyero couldn't catch, but he almost fell down laughing at Galinda's, "No, you can't just wear the dress. You'll wrinkle it. Put the gown on, or I'll come in there and put it on for you."

Fiyero grinned and retreated, resolutely not imagining the sexy gown. Instead, he crawled into his lonely bed, kept company with thoughts of a beautiful girl in a towel whose friend had a bit better sense of timing.

* * *

Fiyero woke sometime around two in the morning by the knocking on his door. At the sight of his visitor in the gown, he was wide awake. "Elphaba, what is it? What's wrong?"

She looked so vulnerable in her self-consciousness, eyes darting everywhere but to his. "I couldn't sleep."

She fought a shiver, and he pulled her inside and into the warmth of his blankets. He crawled in next to her and let her snuggle against him. "Admit it; you just want to sleep with me."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, "That must be it," and he chuckled at her good-naturedly.

With her head pillowed on his shoulder, he leaned over to bury his face in her hair. She always smelled so good…calming in its familiarity, and he felt sleep wooing him back despite the beautiful, half-naked girl in his arms. "Fiyero?" she whispered, and he opened his groggy eyes.

"Mmm?" His fingers twitched over her stomach and the slinky cloth covering it, his reward for fighting off sleep that instant longer.

His reply must not have satisfied her. "Never mind. Go back to sleep."

"No, it's fine." He yawned, "I'm up." He let his lips brush over her forehead lazily, and she shifted against him. A few delicate kisses of her soft lips later, he was fully awake and yearning for more, but she pulled back.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" There was no question that she was talking about more than just the night's sleeping arrangements.

He considered lying to her, but he couldn't do it. "No, but it sure feels like a good idea, doesn't it?" His finger traced her lean side and long neck. She blushed, but didn't answer. "Does it bother you?"

She scoffed, pushing away any attempt to know her true emotions, and even knowing her like he did, he couldn't help the hurt that she still didn't fully trust him.

"Do you want to tell Galinda?" he asked carefully, gauging her reaction.

She pulled back, lips pressed tight together, and he knew he'd guessed right. After a moment, she answered so softly he barely heard. "No. I mean it's just until Shiz. It's not like we're a couple."

Ouch. "If that's what you want," he answered cryptically, but she continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"No, if we tell her now, she'll just storm out and get herself lost or hurt." He knew she couldn't live with herself if she caused Galinda to put herself in jeopardy. She sighed heavily, "But I guess we'll have to tell her eventually. We'll wait until we're back. Maybe if it's already over, she won't be so hurt. Or at least she won't go get herself hurt."

"Elphaba…" She blinked as if just realizing he was there, no easy feat considering he was wrapped around her. "Never mind." Something about the way she'd just brushed him off affected him, and he couldn't bring himself to ask why she was setting an expiration on them before they even started. He was too afraid he wouldn't like the answer.

These sobering thoughts had cooled any passion from him even with her body pressed so close in such skimpy attire, and he found himself wishing for reassurance more than seduction. He kissed her gently, eyes searching hers. She blinked at him, "Fiyero, are you alright?"

He nodded despite his intentions to never lie to her. Perhaps this whole arrangement had been a bad idea.

"No you're not. What is it?"

Her tone was carefully brusque, but he was still glad she cared enough to call him on it. "Am I twisting your arm?" She shot him a confused look, and he clarified, "I mean, you're happy to be here, right? With me?"

From the way her body tensed, he assumed she would have rather swallowed live goldfish than answer, but his wide eyes won her over with their guarded hope. She softened, nodding silently. A warm, happy rush flooded him as he realized that she'd actually expressed a genuine desire to be with him, even if he had basically had to drag it out of her.

And as if her acceptance of responsibility had galvanized her, she seemed to decide to get something for the guilt that would come later. Her lips crashed into him, and he returned her passion eagerly as that warm glow of happiness burst through every corridor of his heart. Oz, she completely undid him, and he would wager she had absolutely no idea.

When she finally pulled back, her lips swollen and her eyes so beautifully reflecting the moonlight, he had to work to control himself enough to listen to her. "Fiyero, I ..." she hesitated, fumbling for words for a moment. "What are you expecting?"

He almost asked what she meant when the realization hit him. Kissing her forehead gently he said, "Only what you want." She gave him a sideways glance, and he clarified, "Well, I'm certainly not going to tell _you _no, but I won't push you."

She smiled, suddenly shy. "Thank you," she whispered, and he had the distinct impression that he'd just passed some tremendously important test.

Feeling a little impulsive, he decided to lighten the mood, so he whispered in her ear, "Unless you want me to," waggling his eyebrows comically. She swatted at him as he attempted to tickle her, and by the time they eventually fell asleep, Fiyero was convinced that he would never be this contented again in his life.


	19. Friends

Fiyero woke yet again in the darkness of early morning, this time to the soft click of the door shutting. Even in his bed, Elphaba couldn't sleep through the night. He decided it was for the best, however, since now she could return undiscovered well before Galinda woke. He rolled over as he drifted back to sleep, finding himself in the warm spot she had left behind.

Oz he loved sleeping with her. Her body just felt so right curled up against his, and he wondered if he could have lived ignorant of that fact had he never been kidnapped. Somehow he felt that even without experiencing it, he still would have found himself missing it.

It was much later when the girls' pounding on his door finally drove him from his bed. He smirked at Elphaba's expression, finding she lacked her usual intimidation in the ruffled, asymmetrical, florescent dress. Galinda plopped happily on his bed once he'd opened the door, but Elphaba had kept her eyes resolutely trained on the shirt in her hands.

He shrugged it on, beaming at Elphaba. "Aw, you brought my shirt. How sweet of you."

"Hardly," she slid away from his hand on her back. "It saves me from a day of you 'accidentally' forgetting it. Honestly, sometimes I think you're allergic to clothes."

Galinda wasn't paying attention, so he leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Only around you. Any chance it's contagious?"

Elphaba ignored him. "The next train toward Shiz isn't scheduled until this afternoon."

"Then why did you wake me up?" Both girls stared at him not too kindly. "I mean, what did I do to deserve the presence you lovely ladies so early this morning?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but Galinda was swayed to his side. "Oh, Fiyero, we missed you. You've been asleep forever!" He smiled at her adorable eyes, so like a five-year-old's. Galinda fluttered her eyelashes, giggling, before she pulled him to the bed beside her. His hand quickly clasp around Elphaba's, pulling her to rest nearly on his lap.

"So what's the plan?" Galinda suggested room service for breakfast, which was met with unanimous agreement. Feeling flirtatious, Fiyero grinned at Elphaba. "Two pretty girls in my bed for breakfast? And it's not even my birthday." He winked as she rolled her eyes.

The morning seemed to stretch forever, and he found himself longing for any second he could spend with Elphaba alone. At the first opportunity, he was certain he would pounce on her, kissing her until their lips burned. Fiyero had never imagined that he could find Elphaba more attractive and be more excited by her than he had been already, but there was just something so erotic about their hidden touches. Every second, she grew more alluring, and every touch only left him hungering that much more for the next.

He could not fathom how Galinda hadn't caught them, his fingers darting against Elphaba whenever he could, their eyes connecting with such intensity and for so long that Elphaba's cheeks had taken on a perpetually rosy hue from her endless blushing. He used every excuse to touch her, boldly brushing his fingers against her while keeping his eyes trained on her friend. She kept biting her lip so often he was afraid she was going to hurt herself. He felt the tension building such that he could barely restrain himself from dragging her off to a corner somewhere now and reveling in the taste of her skin.

Unfortunately, that opportunity to steal off alone never presented itself, and too soon, it was time to renew their trek toward Shiz. When they arrived at the train station, Fiyero went for the tickets while Galinda dragged Elphaba off to escort her to the facilities amidst much protesting about fulfilling female stereotypes and the like.

With the extensive amount of time in line, he daydreamed about Elphaba in his now favorite towel. It was downright unfair how fantastically she could kiss, and now that he knew what he was missing, he found the time she spent teasing him with her presence so much more wonderfully excruciating.

Finally, his turn came, and he flashed a bright smile at the woman working in the booth, still giddy with his musings. She gave him the price, and he sorted through his pockets until he found the money. It was only when the clerk turned to get the tickets that Fiyero looked up to see the poster hung on the wall.

His face drained of all color. Staring from its place by the clock, his own face beamed back from between the likenesses of both girls. Across the top in bold black lettering were the most terrifying words ever printed: "Wanted: Reward for capture, dead or alive."

He had expected some consequence, of course, for breaking Elphaba out of jail, but 'dead or alive'? It made it sound like they were fugitives! Well, perhaps they were, but not dangerous ones who deserved such a drastic call for recapture or such a hefty price as the one offered for their bounty. They were more of the normal, garden-variety fugitives. Just everyday, harmless people on the run - not even criminals really.

The clerk looked up, and he plastered a tense, fake smile that he hoped would allay any suspicion until he could collect the girls and figure out what to do. She gave him an odd look, but he managed to get away without anyone shouting or slapping handcuffs on him. He let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and hurried away before they could realize their mistake.

Elphaba knit her brows as they approached, undoubtedly taking in his obvious agitation. "What is it?"

He pulled her to him, not even caring what Galinda might think, and whispered in her ear about the poster. Galinda caught the alarm in her friend's widening eyes, exclaiming, "What? What is it? Somebody tell me what going on!"

Before he could, he heard behind them a gasped, "That looks like them." His stomach plummeted as he checked carefully over their shoulder, hoping the boy was referring to some other trio of strangers. No such luck. The boy was pointing straight at them.

"No, it doesn't," his companion argued, telling the first boy off for always trying to start a stir. There was a beautiful, tenuous moment where Fiyero prayed that the others would believe them, that they could somehow avoid detection for the next few minutes until the train arrived.

"It is them!" The boy argued, consulting the poster again. "How many girls with green skin could there be?"

Fiyero didn't waste a second to see if they would figure it out or not. He grabbed the girls' hands and half-dragged them away from the growing crowd. It was a battle not to run with his pulse rushing so frantically in his ears. Elphaba had caught on to his urgency and hitched up the pace when she glanced behind her shoulder. Galinda, however, was dragging her feet as she demanded to know what the panic was about. Fiyero cursed softly as he saw that her little scene was only drawing more attention to them.

"We've got to get out of here," he hissed at Galinda, hoping that would shut her up. "I promise I'll explain it as soon as we're safe."

"There," Elphaba pointed to a loading train that was headed in the opposite direction from Shiz. "Let's just get out of this stupid town."

He nodded, and they clambered aboard and collapsed in the first empty seats they saw. Very confused by now, Galinda asked, "But this isn't our train?"

They both shushed her loudly, eyes wide as they scanned to see if anyone had heard. Elphaba leaned forward to whisper the situation to Galinda, and Fiyero kept up his vigilant scanning for any sign of pursuit. He didn't breathe again it seemed until the train had closed its door to prepare to leave the station. His head fell back against the seat, and he felt his grip on Elphaba's hand relax. He smiled to himself, realizing that he still hadn't let it go. And, he thought optimistically, neither had she.

"Tickets please," the bored conductor said. "It seems you are in someone else's seats by mistake."

Fiyero's heart stopped. He and Elphaba shared a look, but Galinda answered in her cute, peppy voice, "Oh, I think we actually dropped them when we were getting on the train. Is that a problem?"

She was using that face that no one could resist, but the conductor didn't even look over at her, his eyes trained on Elphaba. "Actually, it is. I'm going to have to ask you to get off the train unless you can produce your tickets."

Fiyero rooted in his pocket, hoping that the man would be too busy staring at Elphaba with that odd mixture of fascination and fear to notice that they were for the wrong train. "Oh, look at that," he said, pretending to find them, "Here you are." He bit his lip as the conductor wordlessly accepted the tickets without a glance. So far so good.

The man glanced down and frowned. "This is for a different train."

"Oh, our mistake," Fiyero answered rapidly and bolted up, hoping their correct train had now arrived. He snatched the tickets back and was halfway out of the train before the conductor could shout for them to stop. They fled the train, and all hope of escaping on the right train fled as well when he saw the crowd gathered outside the train.

As they stepped down, that same boy from the line called out, "There they are! Get them!"

Fiyero sighed heavily and broke into a run. Elphaba caught Galinda's hand with the one of her own that was not busy being crushed by his, and he hauled them around several corners in a desperate attempt to lose the mob down racing at the heels.

While Fiyero and Elphaba were both quite accomplished in the art of escape at this point, Galinda drug them back. Try as she might, the blonde couldn't pump her shorter legs as fast as her more athletic friends could. The extra weight of pulling her and her hefty, puffy dress after them was tiring him quickly, and as they slammed around the twentieth or so corner, he struggled to work air past the sharp pain in his side and into his burning lungs.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba called out, and he looked back as her hand ripped out of his grip. Galinda had tripped and fallen, and Elphaba was struggling to help her up. He raced back to help right Galinda, and then the three put as much distance as they could between themselves and the crowd.

As he raced up a hill, he let out a groan of frustration when he caught sight of the jail that they had unwittingly been running right toward. Fiyero drug them down a side alleyway to dodge the crowd, now panting as his muscles complained. He realized too late the alleyway was a dead end, and he searched desperately for an exit as the crowd blocked them in.

He set himself between them and the mob, knowing there was no way he could keep them all back by himself anyway. If he was caught, they were all caught. Elphaba banged her fists uselessly against the back wall of the alley with a yell of frustration.

Suddenly, a man's face appeared at a window in the wall that she had just struck. He took in the sight of them and the approaching mob before opening the window as a makeshift door.

"Take my hand," the stranger called, and Elphaba hesitated even as the crowd advanced. There was no time for her suspicions now.

"Elphaba, go!" Fiyero yelled back, trying his best to keep the girls far enough ahead of him that the crowd wouldn't reach them. She tugged on the man's hand, half-falling up through the opening. Fiyero boosted Galinda up, and with one hand to Elphaba and the other to their mysterious savior, he was hauled up to thump down beside them.

"This way!" The man led them to a decrepit carriage that seemed to be the only occupant of the crumbling garage. The mob had reached them then, and slammed against the wall as they tried to filter in through the window.

They scrambled onto the carriage in less than a second as the first of the crowd reached the window ledge. Fiyero held his breath, praying it wasn't too late. The gears squealed in protest as the horse started forward, but after an initial pause that stretched to eternity, the rust flaked off enough to allow the wheel to turn. Their rescuer turned to them with a sigh of relief as they rumbled out of the garage and away from their pursuers. "Well, that was close."

"Thanks for the help," Fiyero said sincerely. "We really appreciate it sir."

"Oh, don't call me sir," he waved in that airy denial that came only with age. "Make me feel old. Name Charlitenn, but my friends call me Char. And since I just saved your butts from that angry mob, I'd say we can consider each other friends, don't you?"


	20. Char

Fiyero couldn't help but smile at the wiry man's lopsided grin. Either that, or the massive relief that flooded through him as they escaped yet another perilous situation. Honestly, he was getting quite annoyed by it all. Yet Elphaba still hadn't budged that Shiz meant an end to their affair, so home didn't seem like a great alternative either.

The carriage rattled through the dusty roads, and the afternoon sun had reached its peak in the sky, baking the air to a dry state that reminded him of home. After they passed through the last of the city streets, their companion turned to ask, "So, are you planning to tell me who you are that you got a mob chasing you? Or at the very least that I ain't made a horrible mistake smuggling you all out of town?"

Elphaba shot Fiyero a look of caution, and he knew she was suspicious of the stranger's miraculous rescue. Galinda, however, had no such reservations. "Oh, we're nothing to worry about." She introduced them by name, and Char nodded his head in greeting at each.

"So what brings the town after you folks?" Char asked so nonchalantly he could have been asking about the weather.

"There's some stupid wanted poster up for us," Galinda bubbled, and Fiyero immediately slapped a hand over her mouth before she could be more indiscrete. Unfortunately, she shrugged him off. "But it's totally unwarranted," she continued, shooting Fiyero as vicious a glare as she was capable of.

"Bit of trouble with the law, huh?" Char continued in his odd lackadaisical way, "Been in a bit of trouble myself with that new fella they got now. He's been trouble ever since he came."

"Oh?" Fiyero asked, interested in spite of himself. "Why's that?"

Char chewed a wad of tobacco for a moment. "Dunno. Heard he got sent away from the last place. Lucky us, huh?"

Fiyero noticed that Char had an odd way of speaking which drew him in, as if it was neither the words nor the subject that mattered as much as the rhythm. He was quite a likeable figure, really, though Fiyero was a bit prejudiced by the man saving all their necks.

Char turned the conversation to their backgrounds as he told them he worked as a mechanic in the shop, and soon even Elphaba had warmed up to the old codger. They tossed politics back and forth, much to the collective confusion of himself and his blonde ex-girlfriend. Elphaba reclined back against Fiyero as she laughed at something Char said about the Wizard's yesmen. Char's eyes darted between her and Fiyero, and Elphaba flushed before quickly popping back up, as if she had suddenly realized her mistake. Fiyero wished he could answer the man's unspoken question. He wished so badly he could claim her as his own. But he held his tongue, looking awkwardly out at the passing scenery.

Elphaba darted looks to Galinda, but the blonde was obliviously gazing up into the afternoon clouds. Char gave them a final knowing look before kindly changing the subject to the weather. As the awkward tension dissolved, Fiyero felt lulled by the shuffling of the wheels across the uneven road and the rocking of the cart through the air warm as a blanket.

He must have drifted off, for it seemed a moment before they had stopped for a late lunch at a tiny diner on the outskirts of a little town he didn't remember approaching. Galinda bustled off to freshen up with a reluctant Elphaba in tow, and Char turned Fiyero with a smile. "So, you seem to be in odd company, son."

He shrugged stiffly at the implied insult to the girls, "No odder than most."

"So the smart one, then, is your girl? Or is it the pretty one? They seem to be confused on the matter themselves."

Fiyero felt so relieved not to hear an insult that he almost missed the implication of the man's words. When they hit him, his grin faltered. "Well, that depends if it's up to me or not."

"Ain't that the truth." Char let out a hearty laugh. "Women. They never do listen to a word us men have to say, do they? Ha! Poor kid. Face like that, you don't stand a chance."

Galinda silvery laugh came as she bounced over. "What are we laughing at?" Elphaba followed, her dour face expression enough of her displeasure.

"Oh, nothing dear," Char said as he patted Galinda's arm. "As they say, 'Friendships are forged through laughter and tears'. I don't know 'bout you folks, but I much prefer the former." He offered his arm to Galinda, and the two wandered off to gather them all some food.

Elphaba pulled Fiyero aside, her face washed with worry. "Fiyero, I don't know about this."

He sighed. "Fae…I thought we talked about this." She knit her brows, and he added, "Look, if you're having second thoughts about us…"

She smiled softly, "Yero, not that." Her hand found his and squeezed. Then the tenderness her face had discovered vanished again, "I'm talking about Char. I don't know if we can trust him."

"He did save us from that crazy town," Fiyero pointed out, still trying to slow his heartbeat after that sweet, sexy smile of hers. "I think we can safely assume he doesn't plan to murder us in our sleep. After all, death by mob would be much easier and more entertaining."

"What about Galinda?" Now he was really confused. He knew she could be a little paranoid, but Galinda? His look must have conveyed this because she cast her eyes to heaven for deliverance, "To not tell Galinda. I don't know if we can trust Char to not tell Galinda. What he suspects."

"Oh." Well that made much more sense. "Wait, how do you know what he suspects?"

She gave him a look that said she thought he was being deliberately dense. "Are you serious?"

He shifted his eyes uncomfortably before answering, "I don't think Char is the type to really care enough to interfere, but if you'd like, I can ask him subtly not to say anything?" The beautiful smile she relaxed into was all the thanks he needed. She squeezed his hand again, and they both sent furtive looks around to see if they were observed. Seeing they weren't, he tilted her face to him as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "And just in case you were having second thoughts about us, I'm more than happy to provide a little more persuasion." His fingers trailed the length of her arms slow enough to draw goosebumps and tangled again with her own.

A throaty chuckle drove him insane when she said, "Oh, I think I can remember your persuasive techniques well enough."

His lips brushed down her neck, and she leaned into him with a breathy sigh. "Still, I'd be happy to refresh your memory." Her mouth had found his temple, placing warm kisses them as he seduced her throat with all his skill.

"Come on you two. Better get your lunch while the getting's good. I'm hungry enough to eat a moose in winter." Char called out, and they broke apart in a hurry before the others could see. Her eyelashes fluttered as if reacquainting with reality, and Fiyero was finding it very difficult to resist the urge to kiss her despite their witnesses.

Lunch blurred by, and as they loaded back in the cart, Fiyero slid his hand on her waist in the guise of helping her up. His fingers brushed her side subtly as she responded with a coy smile. It felt way too good to touch her, and he wondered if it would be as exciting without the forbidden element, the danger of being discovered. Somehow he thought it might actually be.

Char caught his eye, nodded at Elphaba and shot him a wink. Fiyero couldn't help thinking in that moment that he probably was the luckiest guy on the planet, even with all the ransoms, kidnappers, and wanted posters.


	21. Patience

Fiyero waited until the carriage bounced again before "accidentally" bumping against Elphaba's shoulder with a wink. She looked so beautiful in the deepening reds bleeding from the setting sun, with her hair blown loose and free around her face. If only Galinda weren't sitting right in front of them in the cart, or if she were just the slightest bit more interested in the passing scenery, Fiyero would have thrown caution to the wind and kissed Elphaba right there.

"Do you mind?" she hissed.

"I'm sorry," he claimed, mostly for the benefit of those in the front. "This road is just so bumpy!"

"You know, if you held the back of the seat that might help you balance," Char tossed over his shoulder, and Fiyero had to fight another grin at the man's sneaky assistance. "Keep you out of that pretty lady's lap at least."

Elphaba scowled, unsure if she was being tricked. He kept his face blank as he said, "Yes, sir, I'll try that." He would have to remember to buy Char a drink.

He dropped his arm around her close enough that her thigh brushed his with each rattling stone below them. She shook her head at him, but soon enough her hand snuck to his knee as she leaned into him slightly. He scanned the side of her face until he caught the tiny twitch turning up the corner of her mouth. So that's how she wanted to play? Well, two can play at this game.

Training his eyes on the winding road, he traced small patterns on her arm. She bit her lip as he drifted toward her neck to tangle in her hair, and for a millisecond, she let her head rest on his shoulder.

Damn, he wanted her. Not just physically, either. He wanted to hold her in front of everyone, kiss her without wondering who might catch them, and all kinds of stupid mushy things that he'd never admit to wanting to do. But he couldn't. Everything was a secret, and he desperately wanted to scream that secret out loud to everyone he met. It was driving him insane.

Galinda faced backwards to ask them a question, and he fought a sigh as Elphaba rocketed away from him. When the blonde turned back to the front, Elphaba shot him an apologetic look, and he nodded, trying not to look as tired as he felt.

She knit her brows in an unspoken question, and he forced a reassuring smile. Her fingers stole across to his cautiously as her eyes watched his face, and his smile faltered. Didn't she know what she did to him, playing this way? But the insecurity that flitted through her eyes was all it took to remind him of his priorities. She was worth this, worth anything. He shook his head in what he hoped conveyed pleasant nonchalance until she echoed his smile.

Char caught their attention as the sky traded orange for purple. "Well, we'd better stop for the night. The horses'll be needing a rest, and if you folks ain't choosey, I know a nice place up ahead with a great café next door. Don't know bout you, but I'm a man who listens to his stomach."

Galinda giggled, and it was agreed to settle there for the night. Fiyero paid for the rooms as the others headed in the direction of said café, which was just as good as Char had claimed. Considerably more full, they'd tottered off to the two double rooms. He saw the girls safely down the hall before joining Char in the their room.

Char grinned in greeting. "I hope you don't mind me picking this bed. I'm somewhat accustomed to sleeping by the door, but we can switch if your lady friend prefers it."

Fiyero blushed and waved him off. "No, no. Sleep wherever you're more comfortable. I could sleep anywhere."

"Just make sure you answer the door quick so I can keep asleep." Char winked, and Fiyero felt compelled to clarify.

"You don't have to worry. She'll be sleeping in her own room." It was odd to discuss her so openly, though he couldn't bring himself to say her name. It was as if that was the vital proof which could be held against them later.

"If you say so." Char grinned again, "And, it's no worry. I was young once, myself."

"No, really. She's not going to…" Fiyero was interrupted by a tentative knock on the door.

Char raised eyebrows at Elphaba framed in the doorway, and he shot Fiyero a knowing look. "I was just about to step out for a bit; hope you don't mind. Though I'm fairly sure our young friend here can keep you better occupied than I." He winked at Fiyero and slipped out before Elphaba had a chance to close her mouth.

They stared at each other for a long moment until Elphaba looked away awkwardly. "So…"

He stepped closer, "I'm glad you're here." She blinked up through her eyelashes as a coy smile softened her face. He edged toward her and held out his hand until she caught his eyes again. She took his hand, and he led her to the bed. They sat on the edge, and the silent tension was almost too much to bear. "Where's Galinda?" he blurted.

He kicked himself at the guilt that crept into her face. "Bath."

Fiyero nodded stupidly as she bit her lip. It took a moment for him to realize that it was more than guilt etching her watchful eyes. "Oh." Oz, she made him act like an idiot. Why could he never think straight around her?

There was another silence as the two searched each other until he couldn't last another second without touching her. Fiyero caught his breath at the look she gave him when he took her cheek with his fingertips. He felt drawn to her, as if it was scientifically impossible to pull away. His lips caught hers, and the spell was broken.

Everything was a blur as they melted through kisses, deepening until the fierceness left him gasping for air. Time swirled around without touching them, and he felt the thin world that existed beyond her lips fading. He heard only her rapid heartbeat, felt only her breathtaking body against his.

He twisted her hair around his fingers as she nuzzled his neck. "Oh, Fae," his low voice swore his allegiance to his new deity, those two words declaring his faith and praise in endless supply.

"Yero," she gasped as he nipped at a sensitive spot on her neck, and he curled his fingers into her sides in an effort to maintain any thought process at all. "Please."

"What?" he panted. "Do you want to stop or…?" She clutched his shirt in answer, pulling him tight against her and kissing him soundly.

In little need of convincing, he wrapped his arms around her as she climbed in his lap. "Hardly," she breathed. And then he was lost in the feeling of her body and lips and hands. In the dim corner of his brain that still held onto thought, he recognized that for once she hadn't mentioned their deadline, and a warm hope spread through his heart.

With a tentative glance to her face, he let his hands caress the hem of her shirt. Her eyes closed and a low murmur escaped her throat. If she said his name like that one more time, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions. It was more temptation than one man could be expected to bear. He inched up the soft fabric, teasing himself with the feel of her bare waist. Incredible seemed to fall so short of an adequate description.

Elphaba pulled back, and he started to apologize until she stilled his lips. She touched her forehead to his and drew a deep breath. "We're playing with fire," she warned, though from the way her lips kept brushing her skin, she didn't want to stop anymore than he did. Fiyero fought the urge to yell in frustration. Why couldn't they just once not to have to worry about who might catch them? He was tired of carrying around the repercussions of something he'd hadn't even done yet.

"And if I don't care?" His eyes were dark when her wide ones met them, and for a long moment, she could only stare.

"But…" Before she could get any farther, he crashed her into a fiery kiss. He pulled her arms around his neck and raked his hands down her sides on his way to her hips. She arched into him, drawing a groan from him at the heat it drew to a certain part of his anatomy. He wanted her so badly.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he pressed her hips tighter against him. His slight edge of restraint was quickly vanishing, and he thought how very right her statement had been. As the fire consumed the last hint of self-control, Elphaba gasped, "Oh, Yero!"

Her eyes grew when he rolled her underneath him with predatory skill. He answered her unspoken question with a quick, hard kiss. "You drive me crazy when you do that."

"Do what?" she teased in a smoky voice that had him breathless. "Do this?" She arched against him to moan breathily in his ear, "Yero."

"Oz, woman," he growled, attacking her neck with fierce kisses until she was moaning again. "What are you trying to do to me?" She sighed as he progressed to her collarbone, dropping kisses between words, "Do you know what it's like to be so close to you all day, and I can't touch you? It's killing me."

She slid her hands underneath his shirt as if she agreed, and he reached for the buttons on her shirt. He had barely unfastened the first one when the door opened. Of course. He dropped his head heavily against her shoulder.

Char walked in, took one look at the two of them, and said, "Sorry, I was just... Who wants some ice? I'll, uh, be right back." He ducked out again, but the mood had vanished.

Fiyero looked down at Elphaba with an ironic smirk. "Are your buttons alarmed or something?" he teased, and she laughed. He rolled off to lie beside her and let his fingers trace her elegant features that he had long memorized as he struggled to calm down. "Elphaba," he said softly, and the emotion in his eyes must have frightened her.

She sat up, facing away, and said, "I should go."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Why? Because now we won't be alone? Is that all…," he swallowed in a vain attempt to compose himself. "Are we just…" He couldn't complete the sentence, hurt panging through him.

"Just until Shiz." Damn he hated those words from her! He hated how calmly she could say them as his heart ripped out.

He closed his eyes to force the frustration down before he scared her away. In controlled voice, he said, "You don't have to leave. Stay. We can talk." At least it didn't sound as desperate as it had in his head. He hadn't quite begged her.

"Fiyero," she looked down, and he sighed. It was a battle that he couldn't win, so he pulled back, saving what little face he could.

Bravely, he said, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine. Galinda will be worrying where you've gone."

"Yeah," she met his eyes now, and though he tried to hide it, he knew she saw right through to all the disappointment he felt. "Yero…"

"Go. It's fine. Really." He stood to walk her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he reassured himself more than her, and he gave her one last, gentle kiss goodnight. "Sweet dreams Fae."

"You, too." She squeezed his hand, and with a final hesitant look, she walked out the door.

He flopped back on his bed and cursed karma. Was this how he had made all those other girls feel? So rejected and dismissed? He felt a sudden urge to call each one and apologize.

With a tentative knock, Char came back in, noticeably iceless, and took a long look at Fiyero staring up at the ceiling. "That bad, huh?" Fiyero turned his head to show an inquiring look. "You got it bad for her, don't you kid?"

"Yeah. Not that it does any good."

"She'll come around, son," the other man said as he climbed into his own bed. "She's a feisty one, alright, but the good ones always are."

"She's perfect. I just wish she wanted more than just ... this, I guess."

"Pretty girl like that in my bed, I wouldn't be complaining," Char pointed out, and Fiyero had to agree he had a point. It was quiet a moment until Char said, "She does want more, you know."

Fiyero rolled over to look at the man with interest. "Really? How can you tell?"

Char chuckled, "Boy, you don't get to be my age without learning a thing or two about women. Way she looks at you? You're lucky."

"Yeah?" A smile spread across Fiyero's face at the thought that it might be true.

"Like I say, she'll come around."

"When?"

"Oz, the young never did have an ounce of patience. Comes with age. You gotta learn how to wait for what needs waiting for. Not everything is about now. Sometimes you just play the game until its time to get the prize, you know?" Fiyero nodded, and Char grinned crookedly, "No you don't, but you will. Just give her the time she needs. It'll all work out."

Fiyero beamed as Char yawned and rolled over to sleep. Staring up at the ceiling in a much more optimistic mood, Fiyero let himself imagine it actually working out. "You really think she wants more?" He was answered with noisy snores from across the room. "Yeah, me too."


	22. Wanted

AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews. You know how I love them, and you :-)

* * *

Fiyero woke to what was becoming his new alarm – knocking. A glance over showed that Char had already risen, so he groggily stumbled over to the door. He thought he was still asleep for a moment when he saw Elphaba waiting outside, so like his dream, and he peered at her curiously. "Galinda sent me to wake you." She avoided his eyes, and he had no doubt she had argued to leave him alone simply so she wouldn't have to face him.

He scrubbed a hand across his face and hoped he didn't look too atrocious. "Oh." She waited for him to say more, but he just yawned.

"Are you awake?" He nodded. "Then I'm leaving."

"What? Wait," he caught her arm. "Why?"

"We shouldn't be alone together." Her eyes wandered over him meaningfully. "It's too dangerous."

His finger traced her jaw line. "We're alone together now, and nothing bad has happened."

"Yet." She met his eyes, and he had to admit she was right. There was very little chance he wouldn't kiss her in the next minute.

"But we're not at Shiz yet."

"Yero," she sighed, and his face fell. "We're not being cautious. We're _going_ to get caught. It's just a matter of time. We should just…stop now while we're ahead."

"If that's what you want." He took his hand back, but his eyes drew a blush with their intensity.

"You know it's not," her voice so desperately quiet. "But it's the only reasonable thing to do."

The sadness in her voice robbed his argument of any strength. He may hate the idea, but he couldn't handle making her look this miserable. "Okay," he deflated against the doorjamb in resignation.

"You're not going to fight me?"

He panicked for a second at her surprise. Was he not supposed to have agreed? Was this some kind of girl test that he had failed? He told the truth, certain she could tell if he lied, "If this will make you happier, then I won't argue." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, so he drew a finger down her cheek. "Whatever you want, we'll do. No argument, scout's honor."

"That'll be the day," she scoffed.

He pulled her closer and tilted her chin up. "Hey, look at me. I'm serious. Whatever you want." They shared a long look until he pulled her into a hug.

As her head fell against his shoulder with a whispered, "Thank you," it was all he could do not the break the rules he'd just agreed to. Looking around for anything to distract him, he came up empty. The only thing he seemed to notice was that they were, in fact, quite alone.

"So," he cleared his throat. "Where are the others?"

"Breakfast," she said, her eyes trained on his mouth. Suddenly, she was kissing him, and he was pulling her tightly into him. It was too long a kiss to dismiss, and he felt that hope grow a little. Then she pulled back, eyes flashing. "I thought you were going to go along with this?"

"What? You kissed me!"

"I …," she yanked herself out of his arms, and he got ready to chase again. "No, you're right." Okay, he hadn't prepared for that. "I'm sorry."

He brushed her hair back to meet her eyes. "I'm not." They stayed locked in that stare until he smiled. "Come on. Let's go get breakfast." Whatever was going to happen with them, they weren't going to work it out in the next five minutes.

She sighed and nodded.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "It's going to work out fine."

She blinked up at him. "You think?" He nodded, and she smiled genuinely despite her eye roll. "You would. Is it even possible for you to be pessimistic?"

"Nah," he scrunched up his face to draw a laugh, and then dropped his arms down her side to loop around her waist. "Not with you around."

"Okay, that's enough. Let's get some breakfast before I get my daily dose of ham." He let out a hearty laugh and released her with just his hand on the small of her back.

By the time they stepped out of the hotel, the others were already finished. Galinda bounced toward them with a huge smile, "I got you pancakes."

He opened his mouth to thank her, only to feel something whiz past him. A window shattered behind him, and before he had even comprehended that they were being shot at, his body instinctively moved to shield Elphaba. Another shot took a chunk out of the wall beside them, drawing them to the ground.

"What the hell?" He ducked as another ping hit the light above them.

"Galinda!" Elphaba struggled to work her way out from under him, but he grabbed her tightly to him.

"Are you crazy? Stay down!"

"I have to get to Galinda," she wriggled frantically, and he was losing his grip. Fiyero looked up to see that Char had pulled Galinda back to safety, shielded behind him in the corner.

"She's safe," Fiyero told Elphaba. "Char has her. It's okay." At her sharp look, he amended, "Better than us anyway."

"We have to get over there," she demanded.

"Alright. Give me a second to think."

But she didn't. She streaked out past him, bobbing through the bullets and leaving Fiyero's jaw hanging. With no other choice, he raced after her. He threw himself in front of her as best he could while racing through the hissing bullets.

Fiyero grabbed Elphaba's shoulders to pull her roughly to him as they reached the overhang. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, smothering her in a hug. "Oz, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Still have plenty of chances for that," Char frowned.

Fiyero flattened himself as best he could while making sure Elphaba was out of the line of fire, a difficult task since she insisted in trying to scout out who was firing at them. "At least they have to run out of bullets sometime."

"I wouldn't count on it," Elphaba and Char said in unison, startling each other. Elphaba peered out from the narrow cover again, "It looks like three of them."

Fiyero yanked her back with a scowl. "Could you just for once not act like your invulnerable?" She made a face, but he was not swayed. "What exactly am I supposed to do if you get hurt out there? Tie you back together with string? Cut it out. You're scaring Galinda."

Elphaba glanced over to see that her pancake-carrying friend was in fact wide-eyed and pale staring at them. More thoroughly chastised by that sight than anything Fiyero could have said, Elphaba leaned back into their makeshift shelter as they tried to figure out what to do.

"We need to get out of here," Elphaba said finally, biting her lip in the way she always did when she paced. It must be killing her to be trapped like this. Fiyero set a hand on her arm without sparing a thought for what their company might think.

Char nodded. "It seems like they're slowing down. They'll need to reload soon. We'll go then." He held a hand out to Galinda. "Hope you don't mind, son, but I always did prefer a blonde." A small smile wandered onto Galinda's face at that, and Fiyero thought how lucky they were that Char was with them. He seemed to have such a natural ease with people and a dead useful talent at getting them out the bad luck Fiyero seemed to attract.

Char suggested the four get in position to sprint at the first opening, and Elphaba glared at Fiyero when he moved to put his arms around her. "Might I remind you that _I'm _the one who saved _you _several times now? I don't need your protection."

Indignant, Fiyero said, "I'm not going to let you get shot at! What kind of guy do you think I am?"

Elphaba opened her mouth to retort, but Char stepped in. "It ain't about you needing protection. It's about which one of you is too good a sight to stand a bullet hole in 'em, too valuable. You don't wipe off mud with silk."

Taken aback, Elphaba allowed Fiyero to pull her into a protected position without another word, and Char returned to distracting Galinda from their predicament. Elphaba turned to Fiyero to whisper, "Did he just say I was silk? What does that even mean?"

Fiyero chuckled and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, "It means you're too beautiful to get hurt, and he's right." Elphaba shot a wide-eyed glance to the others, but they were lost in the bullets and their part in the escape.

The pops slowed and for a brief second, ceased. "Now!" Char yelled, pulling Galinda after him through the debris to the cart.

Elphaba started after them, and Fiyero quickly lost his grip trying to keep up. Then it was chaos: running and jumping through the broken glass and shattered wall. One shot rang high, showering them in brick shrapnel as another shattered the light not a foot from his ear. He ducked and rolled to rest behind a large, overturned potted plant, and frantically looked for Elphaba.

She was a yard away, flat on the ground as a spray hit the wall two feet up. Crawling across, she made it behind a ramp. He gulped a breath and threw himself careening into the railing beside her. Battling panic, he tried not to think how far they still had to go. They were only halfway to the cart.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba pointed toward a statue of a horse where the others were crouched behind, but Char waved them off before they charged over with a nod toward the long spread of open area separating them from the cart. Fiyero saw why they had stopped. To reach it, they would have to sprint with nothing to hide behind or protect them.

He laid his head against the wall for a second and tried to come up with any plan. "We have to distract them," Elphaba's face was right next to his, but he could barely hear her over the splintering rock, wood and brick around them. He stared at her uncomprehendingly until she said. "We have to help Galinda make it to the cart."

Of course. Elphaba was as single-minded in her devotion to her friend's safety as Fiyero was of her own. "Alright, but you have to stay here."

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you." For a second, he gaped at her, and if they hadn't been about to be shot, he would have kissed her right then, audience or not. Grabbing her hand, he signaled Char and pulled her back in the direction they had come. They raced to the corner and back in time to see Galinda safely slide in the cart. Char ripped off a piece of thick plywood which would give them the slightest bit of cover and ran back to the statue to meet them.

"Fancy meeting you in a place like this," he quipped.

"You brought me something?" Fiyero gasped at the pain in his side. "And it's not even my birthday."

The man laughed. "Yeah, well, figured it was the least I could do." He grabbed one end, and Fiyero grabbed the other. Together, the three of them managed to stumble to the cart without ending up as bullet-ridden as the makeshift shield. Char climbed up in the driver's seat in less than a second, while Fiyero boosted Elphaba in and clambered quickly after. With a sharp, "Yah!" to the frightened horses, Char brought them charging out from behind the stable and in the opposite direction from the gunfire.

Fiyero lay back against the seat, panting heavily. "What was that all about?"

Char grunted. "Bounty hunters, I suppose. You said there's a poster out for you?" Fiyero nodded. "Well, then I expect there's a reward?" Again Fiyero nodded, though with increasing trepidation. "Anytime you get a reward involved, you get people wanting that reward. You folks sure have a way of getting into trouble."

"Tell me about it," Fiyero sighed. "We really need to get another hobby."

"Char!" Galinda exclaimed, making everyone jump. "You're bleeding!"

"Don't worry. We get down the way a bit to make sure they're not following us, and we'll worry about it then." The rest of the drive passed in tense silence until Char finally pulled over. He pulled a kit out of the back and handed it to Elphaba. "You look pretty capable. Have you ever cleaned a wound before?"

"No. Not yet." One look at the squeamish faces Fiyero and Galinda wore, Char chuckled.

"This is why I let them shoot at him, not you," he grinned at Elphaba. With a quick set of instructions, he handed her the first tool.

"What do you want me to do?" Galinda asked, and Char smiled.

"Well, you just stand there and look pretty. Keep my mind off it."

Regaining a little perkiness, Galinda beamed, "I can do that!" She flounced over and took his hand.

Elphaba bit her lip, "This will hurt." He nodded, and Fiyero nearly threw up as she drew the bullet out of the man's shoulder. "How do you have the supplies for all this, anyway?" she asked to distract Char.

"Oh, occupational hazard, I suppose," he grimaced. "Never know what you might need in my line of work." Elphaba finished, and Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief. It's not that he was a squeamish person; Fiyero just firmly believed that blood belonged on the inside.

They loaded back into the cart, silent once again until Fiyero said, "I'm sorry we got you mixed up in all this."

Char grinned toothily. "Are you kidding? This is what I live for." He took in their incredulous stares. "Life's boring without a little adventure now and then."

"If you say so."

Char laughed, "Gotta get out of your comfort zone; shake things up. Otherwise you'll never change. Just cause it's uncomfortable doesn't mean change ain't good for you."

Fiyero couldn't help but to agree on that one. He thought about how much they had changed, gotten closer, and how unlikely that would have been without something cataclysmic occurring. "Maybe you're right, Char. Maybe you're right."


	23. Pinch Me

They didn't dare stop for lunch, and soon Fiyero's stomach was growling terribly. What he wouldn't give for those pancakes now! Elphaba seemed to be handling it considerably better, but then she could last days without food or sleep. He wondered idly if she was sleeping at night; ever since they'd kissed, her dozing had been somewhat curtailed. He glanced over only to see her eyes glazed and shook his head fondly. How like Elphaba to learn to sleep with her eyes open.

By late afternoon, the adrenaline from their narrow escape faded, leaving only grumbling tummies and grouchy faces. Even Galinda wore a frown. Char took one look at them and chuckled. "You are the sorriest lot of folks I've ever seen. Smile a little. At least you ain't shot." His playful wink brought out a sheepish smile from all but the sleepy Elphaba who was blinking at the sudden break in the lulling near-silence.

"You're right, Char. Would you like someone to take over so you can rest?" Fiyero offered.

An unusual shadow fell over Char's face, but as quick as it was there, it was gone. Fiyero hoped the man's fatigue wasn't catching up to him before they could switch. "That's alright, son. I gotta have something to occupy the mind." Fiyero felt a new slice of guilt at Char's painful injury. If only he'd never gotten caught up with them, Char would be fine right now.

They drifted back into silence and rattled down a countryside that lulled them with false promise of security. Fiyero mused how much danger the others were in. Because of him. Because he had been kidnapped, and all this insanity had spun around them.

His thoughts and regrets fled as Elphaba fell into him heavily. He laughed when she didn't react, and for the next several miles, her head lolled against his shoulder without incident. The cart jostled along a particularly bumpy stretch along a winding road, and still she slept, a peaceful expression smoothing her face. But it wasn't meant to be. A fly mistook her slack-jawed yawn as an invitation, and she was wrenched from sleep gagging and coughing. He laughed so hard at the face she made that he almost fell out of the cart, particularly when she pushed him in annoyance.

Char laughed, "I didn't realize you were that hungry, girl. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stop for dinner." The others agreed eagerly, and Char pulled over at the first place they saw. Fiyero rumbling stomach ached immediately at the smell of roasting meat drifting toward them, and his mouth watered.

Char stumbled first from the cart and made a shuffling beeline for the bathroom with a hasty apology for his quick retreat. Fiyero had to fight his own stomach to stay long enough to help the girls down, and his impatience flared when Galinda's skirt got caught in the knife Char had kept ready on the seat beside them.

"Just, rip it," Elphaba bit out, and Galinda's eyes quadrupled.

"I already lost one dress on this stupid trip," she pouted. "And this one is a Ralf Loran!" Elphaba rolled her eyes as Fiyero worked to free the skirt without injury.

"There," he said at last, helping the liberated girl down, "finally, let's go eat!" They turned to the restaurant only to find three guns pointed at them with three very smug kidnappers behind them.

It was straight from one of his nightmares as their leader again held a gun to Elphaba, and his heart stopped in shock mid-beat. "Well, well, look what we have here. All wrapped up with a pretty bow." The gun shifted, and Galinda stepped behind Fiyero subtly at the crude looks the man leveled at her.

Elphaba lashed a quick kick out to the one on the left, knocking his gun away, and Fiyero started toward the right only to hear a resounding shot break up the scuffle. They froze at the sight of Galinda held with the leader's gun pointed to her temple. How had he even gotten to her?

The kidnapper taunted, "My, my. Well, you two haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Yeah, well, I guess neither have you." He took a step back, and Fiyero spared a fleeting glance to see Elphaba's pale face trained on her terrified best friend. "Still a coward hiding behind a girl."

"And look, you've brought me another. How generous of you!" the man sneered. "Don't worry, we'll have lots of fun with them both." Galinda whimpered, and Elphaba took a frustrated step forward.

"Leave her alone!"

"Care to take her place there, Amazon?" Elphaba's fists clenched, and she trembled with barely suppressed rage. "Tempting offer, but don't worry. You'll get your turn."

Fiyero caught movement on the side, and he realized they must not have seen Char returning from the bathroom. He drew attention to himself in the hopes that Char could sneak up unnoticed. "Don't even think about touching her!" It wasn't must of a struggle to fill his voice with rage. "If you even lay a finger on her, I swear to Oz I will kill you. Painfully."

The third guard finished tying Elphaba's hands and limped toward Fiyero still favoring the side Elphaba had kicked. Their leader tossed Galinda to the other kidnapper and strode toward Elphaba. "How touching. I'm sure she appreciates the gesture; if only you weren't so utterly useless." He pulled Elphaba against him, his gun running over her stomach just as it had when this ordeal started, and Fiyero's jaw twitched. "What is it like, watching me touch her right in front of you, and you so powerless to do anything?"

"I don't make idle threats. Let her go now if you're not as stupid as you look, or you _will_ live to regret it," Fiyero warned, imagining at least a thousand horrible tortures he'd love to do to the man right now. His eyes flicked to Char standing right behind the pair, knife in hand, and Fiyero smirked. "Too late."

The man spun around, Elphaba and all, to face Char standing behind him, and Fiyero fought a victorious grin. That creep deserved every bit of what was coming to him. Char nodded, and Fiyero knit his brows in confusion when their friend did nothing else. Surely Char wasn't afraid, was he? But the element of surprise faded, and so did the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"Char," the leader said simply, turning back, and Fiyero felt a swift kick to the gut as surely as if his guard had physically done it.

"Char?" Galinda asked, and her captor jerked her head back to earn a muffled cry.

Char looked at each of them with a blank face, and then back to the leader. "Where's my money?"

"You miserable little…," Elphaba started, but the leader covered her mouth with a sharp slap.

"Now, now," he cooed in her ear as his gun dug into her side, "don't be rude to your betters. You already have all the punishment you can handle coming at you as it is."

"Take your hands off her." Fiyero started when the words he had planned to say came from behind them all, and for once, he was actually glad to see that slimy little lieutenant complete with his backup ringed around the entire group. The man strode forward to remove Elphaba forcibly from the kidnapper's grip, much to Fiyero's relief.

She rubbed her side where the gun had left a mark, and with a curt nod, she directed a deliberately neutral "Thanks" to the officer.

He merely glared a superior look in her direction before addressing their tormentor. "You have broken far too many laws." His force tightened ranks, drawing in toward the criminals, and Fiyero couldn't help thinking how no one was more deserving of a lengthy prison sentence with this sadist.

"Yes, well, sometimes one must."

They stared at each other for a long moment before the lieutenant inclined his head. The leader nodded toward Char, and the lieutenant handed over a wrapped stack of money. Then Elphaba was shoved roughly to the ground in front of the officer's feet.

"What the hell is going on?" Fiyero blurted out as he watched his world crashing around him.

The lieutenant sneered at him as he yanked Elphaba up roughly. "This little annoying wench got me transferred to the middle of nowhere and then makes me the laughingstock of the entire region, and you think she's not going to face any consequences?" A bitter laugh punctuated the words, and he continued, "No, I'm going to get what's coming to me."

"In more ways that one," she bit back, slamming her elbow into his solar plex. He let out a sickening 'oomph,' and she wrenched out of his grasp. Within two steps, several of the men surrounding them had guns aimed at her head, as well as his and Galinda's.

"Think about what you're doing," the leader cooed greedily. "Do you really want to be responsible for the death of your lover and your little sidekick?"

Her face paled, and for a split second Fiyero wondered if it was from the risk or the use of the word 'lover' in front of Galinda. Then the danger rushed back in, and all he was aware of was how terribly unfair life could be.

"Hate to break this up," Char casually tucked the money into his pocket, addressing the other two. "But I got plans. So I know you're taking her," he nodded toward the corrupt officer. "And you're taking him," nodding now toward the kidnappers. "Is anyone taking her?" he nodded toward Galinda, and Elphaba struggled furiously at the ropes they had bound her with.

The two men shared a look as if to talk it over, and when both shrugged, Char smiled.

"Could I have her? She's been driving me batty for days." Hurt glinted in the blonde's eyes, and Fiyero was amazed that she was more upset at being considered a bother than at being kidnapped for Oz knows what horrible uses.

"Well, we planned to use her as entertainment since the green one is going with you," the kidnapper nodded toward the officer respectfully, before addressing Char. "But I suppose we could share. If she's been that much of a pest…" he waved his hand as if offering tainted goods.

"Why would you want her?" the lieutenant asked suspiciously, and for a second Fiyero let himself hope for a double cross. "If she's been such a pain, why want her?"

Char shrugged, "Why do you want the green one?"

"That's different. She has to be punished for her hubris. I think I will quite enjoy taking my revenge." He fingered her lips with a disgusting leer, which Elphaba punished by biting him hard enough to draw blood. With a resounding slap and a few choice names in response, he shook his hand out and hissed of pain. He shoved her roughly to the ground when she tried to knee him in the crotch.

"Ooh, I'm pretty sure we would all enjoy taking," he winked, "a little something with that one." Fiyero clenched his jaw in a desperate attempt to hold his tongue.

"She's mine," the officer growled with challenging looks at both Char and the kidnapper's sudden interest.

"Well, if you can't handle her..."

As they argued, Fiyero took the opportunity to edge toward Elphaba and reach her hands. "Don't worry," he whispered a breath above silence. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She shook her head, a muffled "Galinda" escaping her gag.

"Priorities, Fae, priorities." At her look, he added, "Like it or not, you're always my first one. Now hold still." With eyes flicking between the bickering criminals and their captivated stooges, Fiyero worked the knots out as quickly and subtly as he could. "There!" They both popped up from the ground.

Elphaba kicked out at the guard closest, and Fiyero punched the one beside as hard as he could in the nose. She grabbed the weapons as they fell and tossed him the other gun. Spinning back to back, they faced the attention they'd captured. "Let her go," Elphaba demanded, but the kidnapper merely chuckled.

"Or you'll want? Shoot us?"

"Yeah," Fiyero threatened. "Maybe we will." He shifted his aim from man to man, realizing just how outmaneuvered they were at the moment but trying desperately not to show it.

The man shared a look with the lieutenant and Char before laughing out loud. "Go ahead and try. See where that gets your friend," the officer said. "Not to mention yourselves. I don't know if you've noticed, but there are two of you, and about twenty of us." He leaned in to whisper in Elphaba's ear. "That's not good odds."

"Yeah, well, I could still kill _you_," her voice full of fierce taunting as she shoved the barrel into his stomach, finger inching forward on the trigger, and for a split second Fiyero saw fear light the man's eyes.

It was Char who broke the odd silent standoff. "Now, now. Let's not do anything rash. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now, would we?"

Elphaba shot him a venomous look, but with his eyes suddenly opened to the truth, Fiyero caught the twitch in the fingers of those guarding her. He sighed and grabbed her gun, dropping it with his on the ground. "He's right, Elphaba." If anything happened to her because of some stupid stunt he'd pulled, Fiyero didn't think he could live with himself. "Priorities," he whispered to her even as the lieutenant smugly called out orders.

They were thrown flat on the ground and a foot pressed firmly in his back as they were tied much more securely. As if now alerted to the stupidity of arguing in front of their prisoners, their aggressors lost no time in dividing them up. Fiyero watched helpless as Char loaded a bound Galinda into the cart, and a gnawing dread settled in the pit of his stomach.

Elphaba struggled as the lieutenant gave orders for her to be lifted. With a last smug look to Fiyero, the man brushed his hand down Elphaba's cheek even as her wild eyes dared him to remove her gag. He dropped a kiss on her cheekbone, and she pulled her head back willfully. The man drew his hand back and slapped her hard enough to knock her face to her shoulder. Fiyero thrashed about trying to work himself free so he could kill the bastard himself, but the kidnappers intervened.

"Uh, uh, uh. We want our meal ticket all in one piece. Hate to have to dismember you before we're asked for proof. What if they want a different part?"

He yanked his arm away and stumbled toward her anyway, but one of the men grabbed the end of the rope, tripping him. As he crashed, he couldn't break his fall, so he landed hard on his face. They yanked him up even as Elphaba was carried, still fighting, up the embankment and away. "Elphaba!" he screamed, struggling to follow, but it was no use. She was gone – into the hands of the enemy.

Fear and guilt flooded through him. It was a nightmare that he prayed he would wake from in an instant. He tried to pinch himself, but the world stubbornly held it's place. Another pinch, another. Harder and harder. Damn, why wasn't this working? She couldn't be gone. He couldn't face it.

His shoulder popped hard as they wrenched him in the other direction. "Come on, little Princey. Thanks to you, we've got quite a long way ahead of us. Best be getting started."


	24. A Walk in the Woods

"I hope you're worth all this," the man to his left said as he tugged at his collar. Fiyero wished he had the same luxury of movement. Down the long, dusty road they'd marched him down, he hadn't even been allowed a drink. He should be angry, afraid, apprehensive, but he found all he could manage was a resounding numbness that flooded his senses with a dull buzz. His brain simply refused to process that he had been so stupid as to give up their weapons, and as a result Elphaba and Galinda were off having Oz knows what terrors inflicted on them because of his utter idiocy. Instead, it shielded him with a gauzy disbelief.

"Get up," the man to his right barked as Fiyero found the ground much closer than before. "If I have to carry your miserable ass after all the trouble you've already put us through, you better believe they'll be hell to pay."

He stumbled up automatically and resumed his zombie-like walking. Some part of his consciousness that was hidden down many long corridors and muffled with that buzzing white noise tried to tell him he needed to think, to escape, to rescue, but all he could manage was to maneuver an extra half-step around a hole so as not to fall again.

The men had tried taunting him for a while until it had become clear that the blank face he held would not change. Now they spoke around him as if he were deaf. "Sure wouldn't have minded that blonde staying with us. I don't know why that bounty hunter got to take her. Not fair if you ask me," Left said.

Right scoffed, "Oh, as if you'd have done anything more than run your mouth at her. I didn't see you taking any advantage when she was tied to that post."

"You didn't neither," Left shouted back. "You were the one who left her alone to get stolen in the first place."

"Her whiny little voice was grating on me, kinda like yours is now," Right glared. "Besides, I never said I wanted the girl to begin with. I'd much rather have that fiery green one. Bet she's a great lay in the sack." Fiyero's eye twitched, but his feet kept their disheartened shuffle.

"Yeah," Left nodded, and the pair lapsed into silence. "This sucks." Right nodded solemnly, but added nothing. "Sure wouldn't mind a pretty girl here to take my mind off it. Hey, what do you think we could meet up with that guy and the londe? He seems like he'd share alright."

Right grimaced as he took a swig from his hip flask. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he headed in the other direction toward Gra."

"Well, I know that damn cop won't share. He looked ready to kill the Boss just for touching her."

"She's personal." Right shrugged.

Left leered, "I wouldn't mind getting personal with her."

Fiyero's step faltered, and again Right was dragging him up. "What's your problem, Princey? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of dancer. All of a sudden, you got two left feet?" He stomped on Fiyero's right foot hard enough to draw a cry before Fiyero could bite his lips together.

"Now look what you did!" Left shouted as Fiyero limped the next few steps. He crossed his arms angrily and glared at Right. "I'm not carrying him, that's all I'm saying."

"Well I ain't doing it!"

"We should be there already. Are you sure we went the right way back there?" Right glared, but didn't answer at first.

The two bickered relentlessly, and Fiyero thought it odd how the snipping actually made him feel a little more at home. That was, until they tossed him down and kicked him in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him. "Stay here, or I'll shoot you right through that stupid fluffy hair of yours." The criminals stalked off ahead to scan for signs of life while Right kept a trained eye on Fiyero to make sure they kept their promise.

He rolled onto his back and forced air back into his lungs. That part of his brain called through the buzz again that he should care what they were discussing, but he just couldn't. He had lost Elphaba. It was his fault. The guilt crushed so heavily that it almost outweighed the fear, and so he embraced the shock to dull the pain. What could he do anyway? He was beyond worthless. If Elphaba were here, she'd have had a brilliant plan that would leave them basking in freedom and dragging these creeps to justice in ten minutes flat. But she wasn't here. All because of him.

"Do you always just roll over and play dead?"

He blinked in surprise, looking around to see where she was hiding that her words came so clearly to him, but all he saw was Left staring down at him, nudging him with the toe of his shoe.

"I guess he does. Oz, be a man, and get up. We want to make town by nightfall."

Fiyero wobbled to his feet, disoriented by the man's earlier statement. The last time he'd heard those words, Elphaba had been glaring those famous flaming daggers from her eyes at him across a cold prison cell, and odd that now, sweaty and hot in the summer heat he found the same words like a dousing in cold water. He had fought for her then. So why was he just sitting here now?

He watched the crook stalk off with a snort of disgust to rejoin a disgruntled Right. Did he dare make his escape now, or should he wait and plot a better strategy? Fiyero tried to imagine what Elphaba would do, and an unbidden grin slid across his face. She would have kicked both men in the groin and headed for the horizon hours ago. In fact, she might very well be on her way to save _him_ again.

Then his stomach twisted as he realized what else she might very well be doing, or having done to her, as he stood there with an idiotic grin plastered to his face. He had to get to her. Now.

With eyes trained on the two captors locked in argument, probably over which of his friends was the better lay, he shuffled toward the shadows and waited for his opportunity. Every muscle tense, he held his breath as the two progressed from arguing to belaboring the unfairness of their assignment. Left whined endlessly about the lack of women while Right criticized their boss for abandoning them to march their prisoner back alone. It was enough to make Fiyero's ears bleed.

Any moment now. There. A loud crack split the quiet as a tree fell, and both men turned to stare in surprise. Fiyero vaulted over the fence, a difficult feat for one with hands tied, and sprinted like hell toward the tree line over the rise.

"Hey!" He was several yards away before they'd noticed his escape. Fiyero tucked his head down and cleared the last of the open space. Dodging through trees at breakneck speed, he raced to keep as much of his lead as he could. He heard Left on his right smack into a low lying limb, and Fiyero fought a smile. Serves him right for talking about the girls that way.

It wasn't long before Fiyero's breath ran short and sharp pains ticked across his ribs. He had never imagined that running without arms would be so difficult, but his legs protested the awkward endeavor as he crash through the underbrush without the benefit of breaking his way with his hands. A limb full of sharp, brittle leaves collided with his cheek, but he barely felt the sting. The world narrowed to his pulse rushing in his ears, the shouts from behind him, and the obstacles to dodge ahead.

Then Fiyero caught sight of a hollow trunk, and he recognized the opportunity to throw them off. He kicked through the leaves for signs of a fake trail and quickly doubled back to duck inside. As luck would have it, he wore that black shirt Elphaba had picked, and it allowed him to blend with the darkness far more easily than the crisp, white linen he usually preferred. He would have to reconsider the absurdity of her obsessive preference for black.

He pressed himself into the bark without daring a glance at the pair as they crashed past. The two took the bait hook, line and sinker. After a couple minutes to send them out of sight, Fiyero wormed his way back out and galloped toward the road he'd marched down. Once there, he faced a dilemma. He had no idea which way those cretins had taken Elphaba. The logical choice seemed to be back toward the town that the lieutenant now ran, but logic had long been absent on this crazy journey. Not to mention at his last there had literally been a mob out to get him.

He weighed his options, and with no better alternatives, he headed back toward the town they'd too recently escaped. He sighed. This was becoming quite a troublesome trend.


	25. Nothing but Trouble

Fiyero was on the verge of panicking as the sun dipped low in the sky. He had walked for hours, and he seemed no closer to rescuing Elphaba. He saw no signs of her captors ahead at all, and in truth he wasn't certain that he was even going the right way.

Exhaustion drenched him as he searched for any sign of his location, but he saw only a pair of men ducking their heads into a trench of water. Swallowing his pride, he decided to ask for directions. "Excuse me, sir," he called as he approached, and both men turned to stare at him.

The front of their jackets, newly spattered by the drips from their wet faces, bore the crest of the lieutenant's guards.

Fiyero's heart stopped at the sight of the very men he was simultaneously trying to find and evade, and he fought the instinct to run. Surely they didn't recognize him. And that should mean that their company, and Elphaba, was nearby. He steadied himself to ask for the now pointless directions when one of the men scowled at him intently. "It _is_ him," the man grasped his companion's arm and shook it.

For a moment, Fiyero and the pair locked in a shocked stare. Then he bolted for the nearest thatch of cover as the other man's voice shouted, "Get him! He's getting away!"

He dodged through the trees again, cursing his luck. What was he going to do? How was he supposed to escape them if he couldn't lose them?

It wasn't easy to brainstorm while running for his life. Somehow he put some distance between himself and his pursuers even as his brain raced uselessly in search of solutions. He scanned the area fruitlessly for somewhere to hide until his foot tangled in some tree roots, sending him to his knees.

With a clumsy lunge forward, he regained his balance and pushed off again in a sprint along the edge of a steep slope. He raced forward, only to find himself facing the other guard. Damn them. The two had circled around and trapped him. He tried to slow down and slid on the loose soil, which sent him tumbling down the rocky slope.

Pulse thundering in his ears, he struggled to regain his equilibrium, but the sediment was so loose that he couldn't get any sort of stable footing. From the looks of it, neither could his pursuers who now skidded down the slope right after him.

One of the men reached out to grab his shirt, and without a second thought, he lashed out with a jabbing punch, which knocked them both off-balance. He toppled to the ground with a thud, but luckily the other man broke his fall.

It was enough to stop the outrageous slide, and Fiyero sensed an opening. Fiyero's eyes stung at the flying dirt, but he kicked again even as he blinked madly. The guard groaned as Fiyero's knee contacted his stomach, and his companion finally reached them as Fiyero pushed off into an upright position. The man took in his fallen partner and circled around Fiyero cautiously.

Fiyero struggled to control his rapid breathing as the two men faced off, and wild-eyed, he searched for anything he could use to his advantage. With no weapon in sight, he doubted this would be much of a fair fight. The officer continued circling him until Fiyero wanted to scream to just get it over with. What was he waiting for?

The fallen officer recovered to his feet with a groan and an angry scowl that didn't bode well for Fiyero. Oh. That must be why. "You're going to pay for that," the guard promised with a wheeze. Then he lunged at Fiyero with outstretched arms.

Fiyero dodged and used the man's momentum to shove him roughly into a tree. The tree protested with a sharp crack, and the guard slumped to the ground like a rag doll.

Fiyero didn't even have to time to turn around before the other delivered a sharp kick to Fiyero's ribs. He spun back with a hook, only to have the man deflect it easily. He tried desperately to counter each jab and kick, but the guard had much more substantial training than Fiyero's few brawls afforded him. He took a hit in the jaw that exploded pain across his face to stun him, and the officer took advantage with a staggering kick that toppled Fiyero into the same tree as his previous combatant.

As he slammed into it, the tree gave under his weight, and it smashed to the ground with an earth-shattering crash, sending dirt and debris flying into the air.

Adrenaline raced through his veins at the near miss, and Fiyero felt as if he'd shifted into hyper drive. Through the chaos, he caught sight of his opponent, wide-eyed and off-guard, and he seized the opportunity before the dirt settled. He delivered punches frenetically as the confusion disoriented his opponent. The officer tried to parry, but Fiyero knocked out the man's feet. The guard landed hard on the ground below.

Panting, he stood over the man in his best version of intimidation and asked sternly, "Where is she?"

"Who?"

Channeling Elphaba, he scowled at the man. "Don't be an idiot. You know who."

The guard shot him a haughty glare and clamped his lips shut.

Fiyero punched the man in the face, and a snap signaled the breaking of his nose. "Shall we try again?"

He winced. "Alright. Twenty yards west. By the river. But you'll never get to her."

"We'll see." He took a few steps away before he remembered himself. Fiyero had had enough unexpected surprises for a while. With a branch torn lose from the fallen tree, he thumped the man's head so that he joined his comrade on the ground.

He stuffed down the guilt and tossed the branch away, muttering hasty apologies as he jogged away from the unconscious officers.

The encampment proved remarkably easy to find, if not Elphaba. Several guards repaired the pair of carriages that had obviously broken down while a few more worked on the row of impromptu tents. Subtracting the two in the woods, Fiyero's calculations left Elphaba relatively unguarded.

The question was where. He couldn't exactly walk up and ask, and no place seemed more likely than another. If he guessed incorrectly, the entire camp would fall on him before he even had a chance to try again. Their chances were slim enough without that disaster.

Crushed with indecision, he finally picked, almost at random, the tent closest to the trees. The number of officers encouraged him that she might be within, but it did make his job considerably more difficult. He stalked around the perimeter as he mused. Perhaps he could club that officer on the end, steal his uniform, and impersonate him without drawing too much attention. Or Fiyero could throw a rock to distract them while he snuck it.

As he considered his pathetic options, one of the superiors announced dinner, and the group dispersed.

That was easy. About time luck went his way. Fiyero slipped inside before something else could go wrong. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, a quick glance confirmed he was alone in the tent. He turned to retreat, but then the opening to the tent flew open.

His heart stopped, and only instinct threw him to the ground before being spotted. With a groan from the cot across the room, a man said, "Can they make these any less comfortable?"

"Could be the ground," another pointed out with a chuckle.

Fiyero heard footsteps approaching and rolled under a cot just as the steps reached his aisle. He held his breath and prayed the cot above him remained empty. After a painful moment, the steps halted at the cot one away from his left, and he let out a carefully controlled sigh of relief.

His would-be interceptor spoke again, "How's your shoulder?" There was an answering groan. "She's got to be some kind of witch. No way can a girl twist a man's arm like that."

"Yeah, well, I'm not guarding her again. Seville can guard her himself if it's so damned important to him."

The other guard said, "No one wants to go near her. She's a menace." Pride swelled at how she could still give them hell. She was not a girl to be underestimated.

"Who got stuck moving her?"

Fiyero lost the name, but it sounded like sort of old cheese. "They put her in the closest tent to her carriage, and she still managed to bite Azie's ear and kick Seville where the sun don't shine. Guess he won't be getting any action of her for a while at least."

Relief flowed through Fiyero. He could probably even figure out where she might be from the officer's statement. That is, if he could get out of there.

He couldn't run out fast enough, and if he waited for these two to leave, he could very well be here all night. Or more could come in.

So he rolled onto his stomach and inched forward into the aisle. His heart fluttered at how exposed it felt as he snaked millimeter by breathless millimeter to reach the aisle beside the officer. If he so much as rolled over... Fiyero forced himself to focus.

As he edged past, a loud cough from the cot froze his blood in his veins. Petrified, he couldn't even manage to check behind him. "That sounds bad," the guard across the room said, and his neighbor sighed in agreement. "Want some water?"

Fiyero almost shouted the no that resounded through his head, and only his clamped lips stopped the sound.

"What was that?"

The officer peered over the edge just in time to miss Fiyero's quickly withdrawn foot. Huddled behind a discarded bag, Fiyero fought to control his ragged breathing.

It took several minutes for Fiyero to work up the bravery to escape again, and this time he made it to the door without incident. Slipping through, he disappeared back into the cover of the forest to find her tent.

Using all his stealth, he stalked to the tent and slipped past the single, nervous guard. Immediately, he recognized Elphaba's back, her arms wrapped around the pole supporting the tent.

His stomach plummeted as he circled the pole to see the fierce bruises marring her beautiful skin. "Oh my Oz, Fae. What did they do to you?" his quiet voice magnified in the silence, and she jerked in surprise.

"Fiyero. How did you…?" but he cut her off, at her side in two quick strides.

"Elphie, I'm so sorry." He cupped her face with a delicate touch, and she shifted her eyes away uncomfortably. "Are you alright? Did they..," his voice caught, "hurt you?"

She scoffed. "Hardly." He touched a butterfly-shaped bruise on her upper arm. "You should see the other guy."

He started to argue, but he could see his concern unsettled her. Instead he slid a comforting hand down her arm. "Let's get you out of here."

"It's about time."

His tilted her chin up, hoping she could see his sincerity. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner." She nodded, and he offered her a soft kiss in penance.

She smiled. "Later."

He knelt to examine the metal bracelets with mounting frustration until he finally found the release hidden in an impossibly inaccessible spot. Unless she could contort her wrists like taffy, he couldn't reach to pick the lock.

He scanned for any type of key, even a sledgehammer or something to break the metal, though that would certainly draw attention. Nothing. Nothing at all.

"Don't think me ungrateful, Fiyero, but what the hell are you waiting for?"

He traced the inside of her wrist lightly, pained by the deep red marks left by the tight cuffs. "I can't reach without hurting you. Did he leave a key?"

"No," she shifted against the metal. "I'm not really that fragile, you know."

"Yes, but Elphaba, I'd have to break your wrist."

He considered the matter dropped, but she took barely a second of silence before saying, "If we don't leave before that ass gets back, I'm sure we'll have far worse problems."

"What? No! Elphie, I'm not going to break your wrist. Are you crazy?"

"Then what exactly do you propose?" Damn it, why couldn't he think of something else? "It's just a broken bone. It'll heal." He started to argue again, but she barked, "Just do it, alright?"

He took her wrist in his hands with a deep breath. "Ok, this is going to hurt. A lot. Do you want something to bite down on?"

She shook her head.

He stared at the delicate wrist as he tried to psych himself up to it. He could do this. She needed him to, and he would do anything for her. He just had to focus on the wrist, not who it belonged to, or how much it would hurt, or how long it would take to heal. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She shot him a glare.

"Just asking." The skin on her clenched knuckles turned white as he counted down. "Three…two…one…"

"Fiyero?"

He couldn't do it. He couldn't break her wrist. Oz, this was insanity.

"Fiyero, just get it over with." Her voice, tight with suppressed anxiety, made Fiyero all the more hesitant to do this. But what else could he do?

Fiyero jumped as a voice called out from right outside the entrance, "I'll let you know when we're finished."

Damn it, damn it, damn it! He couldn't think fast enough. There was nowhere to hide, and he couldn't leave Elphaba. "Fiyero, hurry up!" she hissed. "There's no time. Just do it!"

With a loud snap, she cried out as she came free, and in the second before the tent fell, he caught her look of surprise that her wrists were fine. "How did you…?" Elphie asked, but the collapsing tent swallowed her voice and knocked her to the ground. Shouts came from outside as Fiyero tossed away the unseated pole and grasped blindly for Elphaba. He hauled her to her feet and pushed a path for them both through the folds of canvas.

The chaos hid their escape until someone noticed the pair racing toward the trees. "Lieutenant! The girl!"

With the alarm sounded, they wove through the trees in a vain attempt to throw them off. Elphaba ran beside him, and Fiyero was impressed that she could keep up without the sympathetic motion of her arms. No sooner had he thought it than she stumbled on a gnarled tree root and crashed to the ground, unable to balance or break her fall.

"Are you alright?" he asked, racing back to help her up as she nodded. "Good, because here they come."

The guards ringed around the two. He planned how to stall, but a brutish man on his right didn't give him the chance. He rushed at Fiyero with ham-like hands raised, and two others broke from the pack to join in, each from opposite directions.

Elphaba put her back to his, and he tried to focus on the gigantic oaf in front of him. Fiyero slammed his foot into the man's kneecap and as he fell forward, Fiyero elbowed his collarbone hard. It bought Fiyero a second to dodge the punch aimed for his face, but it didn't come close to knocking the man down. A whack on the back of the head startled him as he could see both his combatant's hands.

He lashed out a spinning kick to hold his muscled giant at bay while he saw what hit him from behind. Elphaba's foot was caught in a short, stout man's hands as she hopped to keep away from the skinny one recovering behind her. Fiyero imagined she had tried to kick the small man, but with her hands bound, she could hardly maintain her own against two assailants.

He hadn't taken more than one step in her aid before his fighter clocked him from behind. The others roared from the sidelines, but Fiyero could barely hear it over the ringing in his ears. He shook his head and staggered back to his feet as his opponent pandered to the crowd.

Fiyero saw a fist-sized rock near him and lobbed it at the laughing guard. He didn't wait to see if he'd hit his target, rushing to Elphaba's aid just in time to redirect the punch aimed at her and hit the thin guard in his narrow nose. His assailant reached him to slam a thick knee into Fiyero's ribs.

With a wheeze, Fiyero caught Elphaba's shoulder for some sense of balance, and his guard down, the short one clocked him right in the nose. What little edge of control he'd managed was slipping, and Fiyero couldn't even hold his own against all three. Let alone the horde of others waiting to replace them.

Fiyero started to get desperate when the thin one threw a punch that, when Fiyero dodged, hit the short one off-balance to smash backwards into the thick one. Fiyero used the opening to drag Elphaba after him in a wild sprint toward the trees. It took the onlookers a couple moments to recover from their surprise and follow.

Sprinting through the trees, the pair led the officers on a wild chase, dodging trees, leaping over bushes, and sliding across the loose soil. Fiyero kept a hand on Elphaba's arm to keep her from a critical fall, but the others were still gaining on them. Flanking them on the right, the crowd forced the two to swerve back toward the river.

Disoriented by all the turns, Fiyero lost all sense of direction. They were probably running in circles now. He searched for a landmark when he felt fingers graze his back.

Damn! Fear spurred him into a wild burst of speed through the trees as he chanced a look back. Oz, there were so many of them. He looked forward again, only to see loose sediment and empty air.

He skidded to a halt, the cliff looming ahead. Neither left or right offered escape, and only air and the gurgling river behind them. No way could they fight the entire angry company.

He took a deep breath, and then gave Elphaba a desperate shove over the edge and jumped in after her. The water stung as he slammed into it, and he had to work hard to reach the surface. Faces appeared and disappeared at the top of the rocky wall as the men headed for a saner path to the bottom.

With a sigh of relief, he turned to Elphaba, beaming. Only she wasn't beside him. He spotted her under the water, kicking frantically, but with her hands tied, she couldn't fight her way up.

Guilt sliced through Fiyero as he dove under to reach her. Some rescuer he was, drowning the girl he saved. He looped an arm around her waist and drug her up with him toward the precious oxygen and then onto the sandy strip of coast. Coughing and gagging, she sucked air past the wet strands of hair blanketing her face.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, pushing aside the drenched locks, "I forgot about the handcuffs."

He expected a snappy retort, but she just shuddered with a ratcheting cough. "Help me up," she choked out, and he lifted her to her feet.

Voice thick with concern, he asked, "Are you alright?" She rolled her eyes and nodded, and Fiyero pulled her to him tightly. With a sudden wave of emotion at how close he had come to loosing her, he said, "Thank Oz. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You seemed to do alright," she said with a touch of pride. "Let's get out of here."

He ran a finger down the side of her cheek. "Have I ever told you that you're brilliant?" She smiled, and he dipped his lips to meet hers in a slow kiss. After a long moment, he pulled back to touch their foreheads together as he toyed with her top button. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes."

She swatted his hand away, and he grinned until he caught the ghastly expression on her face as she stared over his shoulder.

"What?"

He turned around to see a very unexpected blonde staring at them.

He sighed heavily. "That's it. No more buttons for either of us. They're only trouble."


	26. Finale

"Let me explain," Fiyero started with hands raised. Elphaba quirked her eyebrows as if to ask what he could possibly say, and he stammered, "I…we…just…" The collective intimidation of both girls overwhelmed him, and he blurted out, "How did you get here, anyway?"

Galinda's pretty face darkened. "Well, that was rude."

"What I mean is," Fiyero blushed, "we weren't exactly expecting you here."

"I'd say that's pretty obvious." Galinda flipped her hair over her shoulder and assumed her full height. "I escaped."

"By yourself?" Elphaba's voice held a touch of pride that melted Galinda into a smile.

"I waited until Char wasn't looking, and then smashed a rock into him. He tried to grab me, but I punched him in the shoulder until he let go of me. Then I kicked him in the knee and ran away."

"Wow," Fiyero shook his head, amazed at her daring self-rescue. "Good thing Char was wounded."

Galinda visibly bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that, you know, it's good that Char had already been shot. So you could escape more easily. Not that you wouldn't have anyway. You're very, um…" Resourceful? Intelligent? Strong? No, those described Elphaba, not Galinda. "Stylish?"

Elphaba shot him a look, but Galinda beamed. "I am, aren't I?" Fiyero let out a sigh of relief. Finally he had managed not to put his foot in his mouth. "Anyway, I came to rescue Elphie from that creepy old officer guy."

A loud rustling sound came from the bushes.

"We should probably get out of here." Fiyero cringed as the first several guards tumbled their way down the last steep slope. "Now!"

They raced down the shoreline, and Fiyero glanced back to see the guards staggering to their feet. His eyes trained elsewhere, his foot caught on a tree root, and he crashed to the ground with a shout.

Elphaba jogged back to pull Fiyero to his feet. "Thanks," he said as he rubbed the knee he'd landed on. That was going to bruise.

"You okay?" she asked, and he nodded. "Good. Then let's keep it that way," he followed her eyes behind them, and she tugged on his hand with a new urgency. Only a few yards remained of their lead.

They sprinted toward the road, where Galinda had already flagged down a carriage. Fiyero winced as the door opened, half-expecting the kidnappers to pop out at them, but the only occupant was a sweet-looking old lady. "Goodness! Look at you all. You look like you've had a terrible fright."

Galinda said, "Could you please help us? We're in rather desperate need of a ride to town."

"Of course, ducky. You know, you look just like my granddaughter. She's…" The old woman's dithered on as their pursuers rapidly closed in.

He boosted up Galinda without waiting for permission. "Thank you for the help."

Popping into the carriage herself, Elphaba drew a gasp from the woman at both her sudden appearance and her, well, appearance. She gaped at Elphaba skin until Fiyero hurled himself up afterwards and slammed the door. He spun to face the wide-eyed woman with his most charming smile. "We really are in such a hurry."

She nodded dumbly, and the driver continued down the winding path just as the men reached the road's edge. Fiyero watched them disappear before relaxing onto the cushioned seat.

They rode in tense silence, and after the scare they'd given her, he wasn't surprised when the woman dropped them off as quickly as decency would allow. They raced to take the first train, which luckily aimed straight toward Shiz.

It seemed too good to be true.

Once in their seats, he fidgeted until Elphaba snapped at him to stop kicking his foot before it made her ill. The anxiety, however, remained palpable, and the only noise from the trio came from Galinda's once-manicured nails tapping an ostinato on the armrest. Fiyero held his breath at every stop until the train pulled away again. By the time they finally arrived at Shiz, he felt quite lightheaded.

Exiting the train, they tried to disguise their desperation in a brisk walk, but in the final few yards to campus, they broke into a run. Elphaba led them straight to her dorm, fully prepared to barricade them in until the police could arrive and sort matters out.

Fiyero collapsed on Elphaba's bed as she locked the door and moved to inspect the closets and bath. "I can't believe we're actually back."

"I know," Galinda said. "I keep expecting something to go wrong."

A knock at the door made everyone jump.

"Get back." He edged toward the door as Galinda ducked behind her closet door. Elphaba grabbed a blunt sort of stick as a makeshift weapon and nodded. He sucked in a deep breath, and threw the door open.

Boq jumped. "Oh, you're back. Um, where are the girls?"

He started to answer when Galinda tumbled out of the closet. Boq hurtled back with a shout.

"Boq, you scared me!"

"Same here!"

The blonde posed with hands on hips from her position on the floor. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"Package for Elphaba." Elphaba lifted an eyebrow and stepped forward, lowering the makeshift weapon, and Boq paled at the sight. "I'll just leave this here for you, then."

The munchkin skittered away, leaving the long boxes in the doorway. Fiyero reached for it when Elphaba called out, "Don't. We have no idea what they are. What if it's a trick?"

"Yeah, like that giant Rabbit?" Galinda bit her lip.

They turned to stare until Elphaba sighed. "You mean the Trojan Horse?"

Galinda crossed her arms petulantly, "Horse, rabbit, whatever."

"I'll open it in the hall." Fiyero advanced on the large boxes slowly as Elphaba flanked him with weapon ready. They seemed harmless enough. He kicked one hard, listening for any noise, but only soft rustles came from within. With one hand he peeled back an edge of the tape, and, with a look to the girls, he ripped it back.

A flurry of white rushed at him, and he shouted, flailing at the moving target even as he scrambled backward.

Both girls fell against the wall, cackling, as Fiyero pushed the cloth off him. A gown. His attacker had been a gown. He blushed. "Oh, shut up."

Elphaba struggled to contain her laughter, "Don't worry. We won't let the vicious gown get you." Galinda's giggles quadrupled as she slumped against her roommate.

He just scowled and drug the first box in. Galinda said. "These dresses are beautiful, Elphaba. Where did you get them?"

"I didn't," Elphaba frowned. "It's probably a mistake. They've got to be for you."

Galinda flounced over to the box to check the tag and squealed. "Fiyero, how sweet! There're from you?"

He winced. "Yes, but…they're for Elphaba." Elphaba turned to stare at him as Galinda bounded over to hug him tightly.

"Who would have guessed you were such a romantic! Oh, you're just adorable!"

He blinked in confusion. "Um, Galinda, you did hear me, right? They're for Elphaba."

"Of course. Why wouldn't they be?"

"You're not…upset?"

"No, silly. I think you two are precious." She drug Elphaba by the wrist and draped the dresses over her.

"You're not mad that I'm dating her?" Fiyero asked, only to draw a glare from Elphaba. "Ok, not dating, but … you know what I mean."

"Of course not. We broke up ages ago."

"We did?" Now he was really confused. "I mean, I know we did, but you kept… I thought … Why did you keep trying to kiss me?"

She tossed a silvery giggle over her shoulder at him. "We were just flirting." She shook her head knowingly. "Men."

Elphaba's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "So, why were you upset when you caught us, you know?"

"Kissing?" The blonde giggled. "Oh. I wasn't upset about that. I was upset about Fiyero being such a jerk."

"Hey!"

"You were pretty rude," Elphaba stated, and both girls nodded in unison.

He gestured, annoyed. "You try being coherent in the middle of a kiss. I can barely think while I'm kissing you as it is, let alone when shocked out of it." She blushed, but nothing compared to him. He should really learn to shut up.

"You thought I didn't know?" Galinda giggled again. "I've known for ages. Elphie is adorable, but she's not really that subtle – always staring at you and blushing and sneaking off to sleep with you."

He cleared his throat. "How long have you known?"

"Since the police station." They stared in shock. That was far longer than he had suspected.

"You're really not upset?"

Galinda set down the dresses and took Fiyero hand. "If anyone is going to date my Elphie, I'm glad it's someone I can trust to be a gentleman."

Overcome, Fiyero squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

She turned to Elphaba, "I just want you to be happy." Elphaba pulled her roommate into a quick hug, and Galinda squished her roommate hard before pulling back with a grin. "Isn't this dress just adorable?" Galinda swirled the dress to pose it on Elphaba. "Think of the makeover I can give you with this! Fiyero, you're a genius."

Elphaba sighed as she untangled herself. "When exactly did I become everyone's doll, anyway?"

Galinda patted her arm before whirling around. "Well, I'm off. I think I'll go tell Madame Morrible not to let creepy men attack students anymore. I'll probably be gone a while." She winked.

"You shouldn't go alone. It's not safe." Fiyero stopped her with a hand on her arm. "We'll all go."

Her curls bobbed as she shook her head. "I'll catch Boq to escort me. You two stay here and have some fun." With that, she disappeared out the door, and Fiyero could hear her call, "Oh, Boq! How would you like to play my bodyguard?"

"Well, that was a surprise," Fiyero said as he sank down onto Elphaba's bed.

She moved over to sit beside him with a dazed expression. "To say the least."

"But good news, right?" he asked as he brushed her hair behind her ear, and she blushed.

"Yeah. Good news."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead softly as she sighed. "I can't believe we're finally back." As the tension melted out of him, he felt that dense aching exhaustion swarm back in. When had he last slept for more than a few hours in a proper bed? He couldn't remember.

Fiyero fell back against the pillows and pulled Elphaba into his arms. She buried her face in his chest. "I know."

At the odd tone, he asked, "Fae?"

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to be back. I didn't expect to… I'm not ready."

Fear sliced through him. "You don't still want to stop, do you?" She didn't meet his eyes. "But, why? Galinda already knows, and she doesn't care." He popped up, arms gesturing wildly. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"I know," her voice said so softly, so sadly.

"Then, why? I don't understand! What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing." She shifted her arms to huddle on the edge of the bed. "I just didn't expect to…"

"To what? Actually make it home? End up stuck with me?"

"Need you." She hid her face. "I just thought we could call it off later."

He crossed his arms. "You thought you could just get rid of me."

"No."

"Then what?"

"I don't know what I thought. I wasn't thinking, I guess. I didn't expect it to last this long."

Ouch. He pulled away. "I see."

"I'm saying this all wrong." She paced now, "I thought you'd go back to her, or get sick of me long before we actually made it home." He softened at her words. She couldn't be more wrong. "I'm not ready."

He moved to her, his hands on her shoulders, "For this to be over, or for it not to be?"

She tilted her head back, and he brushed his lips across her jaw. "Both," she shivered. "I can't…"

"You can," he whispered in her ear. "There's nothing in the way now. No kidnappers, no bounty hunters, no Galinda to worry about. Nothing to be afraid of."

"But I am," she whispered back.

He kissed her hair where it covered her pulse. "I know. But you don't need to be. Let me show you. Please don't shut me out." She turned in his arms to meet his eyes. Then she nodded. He didn't waste a second moving to her lips, and each long, slow kiss matched a step back toward her bed. They sank to the blankets, fingers twisted in each other's clothing, when Galinda breezed in.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. I've been gone for ages," she huffed. "Madame Morrible called the police. They're going to interview us in the morning. And she even assigned some very cute guards to make rounds past our building so we're safe tonight."

"Good," he nodded.

"Now, I figure, this dress will look fantastic on your date tonight." At her roommate's surprised expression, Galinda glared at Fiyero. "You did ask her on a date for tonight, didn't you?"

He flushed. "I was just about to."

"Right," she scoffed. "What, with your tongue down her throat?"

Now Elphaba blushed. He decided to leave before he could do anymore harm, and with a lingering kiss on the cheek, he promised to return at seven for their bullied date.

He floated, oblivious of the trip, to his room. He actually had a real, honest, actual date with Elphaba. One look in the mirror showed him just how hard the trip had been on him, and to be frank, he looked like crap.

A shower and some emergency manly beauty maneuvers later, Fiyero felt nervous enough to vomit, but handsome enough to look good doing it. Preoccupied, Fiyero bumped into someone without even noticing until the man caught his arm and spun him around. He looked up to see an unfortunately familiar face.

"You."

"You," the lieutenant sneered back.

Fiyero wrenched his arm back only to be punched in the face. He fell back to feel the injury, only to dodge another jab. He caught the next blow, redirecting it so his opponent collided with his elbow. The lieutenant lashed out again with a punch to the stomach, and Fiyero folded in half with an involuntary 'oomph.'

Aching, he pulled himself up just in time to block another punch. Struggling to regain the offensive, he caught the man's knee with a well-aimed kick to knock him back. The lieutenant charged and landed a blow to Fiyero's bruised rib, and when he doubled over, the man flipped him. A loud pop signaled the dislocated joint in Fiyero's shoulder as he cried out in pain.

"Better be careful," Fiyero forced out, staggering to his feet with a hiss. "You'll piss off your associates if you damage their merchandise."

The lieutenant barked a laugh. "I doubt they'll cause much trouble where they are. I'm the law, boy, and you'd do well to remember it."

"Were," Fiyero batted off a punch with his uninjured hand. "Doubt they'll be very accepting of you taking bribes and assaulting girls." The lieutenant's face darkened, and Fiyero pushed, "In fact, I think I'll testify against you. Out of principle, you see."

"Is that a threat?" The lieutenant shoved Fiyero to the ground. "Am I supposed to be afraid? Do you really think those miscreants didn't already try that?" A bitter laugh echoed off the concrete. "I've been dismissed, freed from the confines of the law. All the better to make you pay!" He slammed a knee into Fiyero's chest and leaned over to latch his hands around Fiyero's throat.

Agony erupted in his lungs as he fought to breathe. His already tender ribcage sizzled with stabbing pains. Clawing at the man's hands, he tried desperately to loosen them before he lost consciousness, but the fingers only tightened their strangle hold. He saw dimming stars, and the burning in his lungs seemed to materialize in front of his eyes.

"Fiyero!" Suddenly the pressure lifted, and Fiyero sucked in a desperate breath.

Elphaba appeared above him, an angel of beauty. "Are you alright?" Before he could answer, she disappeared again, and he forced his aching body up. She fought the lieutenant, wielding lean arm and shapely leg in a tight, gorgeous dress. His jaw hung open as this quickly replaced his top fantasy.

Then the lieutenant caught a grip on her arm, twisting her into a nearby wall.

Fiyero sprang into action, ignoring the screaming from his injured torso. He slammed a fist into the creep's back right between his shoulder blades, and the man whirled around with a howl. "Nice dress," he tossed over the man's shoulder to Elphaba.

"You picked it," she replied with a kick to the lieutenant's ribs. He darted out from between them to circle the pair malevolently.

"You look…so beautiful."

"How sweet," the lieutenant growled as he swung in a circle, knocking her to the ground before Fiyero could react. "Oh, did I ruin your dress? Don't worry. I'll rip it off you soon anyway."

Fiyero clambered to her aid, but the lieutenant landed a sudden punch that left Fiyero dazed. Disoriented, he tried to swing again, but the lieutenant sent him to the ground with a ringing blow to the ears.

Fiyero smacked into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of his already damaged ribcage. He tried to get up, but he could only gasp uselessly.

The lieutenant straddled Elphaba with her wrists pinned beside her. "You ruined my life. It's only fair I ruin yours."

"Fae!" Fiyero called out, but his hoarse voice couldn't protect her anymore than it could raise him from the dirt.

Elphaba kneed the man hard in the crotch. "Get the hell off me."

The lieutenant groaned in pain as Elphaba scrambled from underneath him. He staggered to his feet in pursuit, but Elphaba swung her dainty purse with enough force to slam the clasp into his jaw. She grabbed her key from it, and with it gripped in her hand, she threatened him. "Stay away from us."

"Or what? You'll never make it inside in time."

Her eyes flicked toward the dorm, and the lieutenant rushed toward her. She slashed the key into his cheek until he howled in pain. Then she slammed an elbow into his throat and knocked his knees out from under him with a well-aimed kick. The man smashed to the ground with a thud, and Elphaba knelt to hold him in place with one heel while pressing the key against his throat.

"If I were you, I wouldn't move," she threatened. He tried to respond, but the only noise that could escape his damaged throat was a rattling wheezing.

Fiyero pushed to his feet with a pained moan and limped over, but Elphaba didn't tear her eyes from her captive for a second, even when a voice behind them asked for an explanation.

Fiyero turned to see the security officer Galinda had mentioned rushing toward them. "Are you alright, ma'am?" the security guard asked

"Fine, now." She relaxed her hold on the key, and backed away from the prone lieutenant.

"Did he attack you, miss?"

She barked a laugh and rolled her eyes, so Fiyero said, "Let's go with the short answer, and say yes." The security guard gave him an odd look before nodding slowly. "We'll provide written statements in the morning, if that's alright. Can you just get him the hell out of here?"

The security guard nodded curtly, and with a snap of metal, he handcuffed the former officer and hauled him to his feet. The lieutenant glared at Elphaba as the security guard drug him away, and the wheezing rattled faster, as if the lieutenant were trying to yell threats back at them.

'Sorry, didn't catch that," Fiyero taunted until Elphaba elbowed him to stop. He hissed in pain and clutched at his damaged ribs, as she gasped her apologies. "It's okay." He winked, eying the high slit up her dress that hadn't existed before the fight. "That's one hell of a dress."

Fiyero leaned against her heavily as they limped back toward her dorm. He couldn't believe it was finally over. All thanks to Elphaba.

"Have I mentioned that you are an amazing girl?"

Elphaba leaned up to kiss him, arms around his waist, and he beamed. She had kissed him in public.

Touching their foreheads together, she pulled back to whisper, "And you know the best part?" He raised his eyebrows. "No buttons."

He leaned back to verify, and sure enough, not a damn button anywhere on it. He grinned. "Maybe we should just stay in?"


End file.
